Winery Maison Olivier Bernstein

By Francesco Pagliari - 25 October 2017

Constructed from traditional materials, this square-plan building is located in the center of Beaune, Burgundy, one of France’s prime wine-producing regions. The brief was to devise an elegant solution that would not only restore the house but also profoundly reorganize the interiors and make it a fitting headquarters for a top wine producer, Maison Olivier Bernstein. In short, architectural design was required to enable the many functions and phases of winemaking to be carried out in the same place. Ageing, bottling, packaging, marketing, receiving customers, and general management all had to be conducted under the same roof. Accordingly, the new program follows this chronological process. Ageing takes place in the cellar, bottling and packaging on the ground floor, business with customers takes up the first floor, offices are on the second, and the loft is a storage space. This all-in-one winery is the epitome of top-tier production in a region of France known throughout the world for its vineyards and excellent wines. The as-found condition of the house before renovation was dire. Used as a warehouse, both structure and construction materials had suffered considerable deterioration. The interior architectural layout was unsuitable for the new series of consecutive uses proposed. More especially, the overall state of the building was in no way commensurate with the exclusive character of a Maison that while priding itself on being part of a long-standing tradition is one of the most go ahead in an industry under continual evolution. The original building had many significant historical and architectural qualities harking back to the building traditions and materials of the region. The huge exposed beams are in Burgundy oak - the same wood used for the barriques. The walls are in local stone and the steeply sloping roof has the typical slate-slab covering. All features to be carefully retained, and restored with a project that would preserve and replace...