Redstone Winery

OAA Awards Design Excellence Award

Redstone Winery 4245 King St, Lincoln, Beamsville, ON

Redstone Winery Entrance at Dusk

Completion year: 2015 The total building area = 1,110 m2 Total site area = 14.88 Ha Location: Beamsville, Ontario Population: 10,700 Persons Budget: $ 7 M

Context Nestled in the picturesque landscape of Beamsville, along the southern shore of Lake Ontario, Redstone unites traditional wine-making techniques with state-of-the-art technology to create bio-dynamic, organic wines of exceptional elegance, depth and character. Inspired by its surrounding, the new building, Redstone Winery Retail and Hospitality, offers an inviting facility that includes a VIP tasting room, a seasonallyinspired restaurant and a patio overlooking the vineyard.

The community of Beamsville is part of the town of Lincoln along the southern shore of Lake Ontario and within the fruit belt of the Niagara Peninsula. Beamsville contains century-old brick buildings, an old-fashioned downtown area with barbershops, a bakery, a print shop, restaurants, banks, and other businesses, as well as plenty of orchards and vineyards. The 38-acre estate vineyard farmed organically and biodynamically, is perfect for maturing late-ripening varietals including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. There is also Pinot Gris on the property; and Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay from recently acquired Limestone vineyard round out the estate portfolio.

N Redstone Winery Site Map

Creativity The venue’s concept sprung from an idea of developing an environment where craft and details, associated with the production of wine, are carried forward in the built environment. A simple material palette inspired by iconic farm structures including natural stone, cedar and metal is carefully augmented and enriched with state-of-the-art glass, steel and engineered composite wood structural systems. Together they emerge from the land to enclose and define a rich experience of wine and culinary delights, and then return to the land and the vineyards beyond. The stone walls, reminiscent of old barn foundation walls, appear as found objects on the site. Like a memory of the past, transformed and reused, the walls form the primary order of a new architecture for the fruits of the land and what they can become in the care of the vintner and the chef.

The long stone walls running east-west capture the space which is further defined by simple volumes clad in reclaimed barn board and silo steel, leading guests to the entrance of the building. Enclosed with a floating wood ceiling and roof, the scale and proportion of the space heightens and enhances both the collective and personal, experience of this wonderful place.

Building materials are left in their natural and unfinished states to facilitate a tactile dialogue with the visitor. Inspired by the agricultural heritage of southern Ontario the material palette celebrates the agricultural heritage of the area while embracing an exciting future for the Niagara region and the local viniculture. The architecture combines a carefully selected material palette, including red stone and a variety of local wood products, together with dynamic glazing, radiant heating, building automation system and an unprecedented use of cross-laminated timber (CLT).

Natural stone veneer walls are positioned along the site in a north–south direction. As exterior walls they define outdoor spaces and range in height from 0.5 to 3.0 metres (1.6 to 9.8 feet); while as interior one walls they rise to 3.0 metres (9.8-feet) with clerestory dynamic glazing above. Four types of natural stone, Eramosa, Red Sandstone, Black Flagstone and Mara Accents, were used in the building—sourced from across Ontario and ordered well in advance of the construction start date. The east and west façades are constructed using barn board framed walls, stone veneer walls and clerestory glazing, while the north and south façades of the building’s retail area and main dining hall are comprised of full height curtain wall frames with dynamic glazing.

Ontario wood products are integral to the design, and were selected to provide visual cues to the agricultural traditions of Jordan Village where Redstone is situated. More specifically, reclaimed Ontario barn board cladding provided an opportunity for the design team to reinforce the

Above: Redstone Winery Entrance, Below: Redstone Winery Retail Area

Redstone Winery Exterior View from North

agricultural vernacular and reduce the environmental impact. These barn woods are also utilized as exterior/interior cladding, and as visual screens throughout the facility. The boards are installed in their natural state with expressed fasteners to provide desired visual cues to the Ontario agricultural vernacular. Hickory was also chosen and incorporated in the interior material palette in an effort to recall its traditional use in the fabrication of farm and hand tools. The linear grain and warm amber tone of the hickory provides the desired contrast to the cold, blackened steel plate shelving and miscellaneous fittings along the tasting bar counters. It is also used in the fabrication of the entrance vestibules to the retail area, retails displays, storage and case goods, and the moveable partition to the private dining room.

The cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof slabs incorporate an inverted king-post truss—comprised of stainless steel cables and steel tube posts. These components are connected with precision-machined fittings that provide a visual tracery to the forces at play. The CLT roof slabs were selected primary for their ability to create unobstructed clear spans. The finished slab satisfied the design criteria of providing an exposed natural, warm material capable of facilitating expressed connections. Moreover, the dynamic glass, the radiant heating system, and the building automation make Redstone into an unprecedented, innovative addition to the Ontario wineries.

Redstone Winery Sculptural Reception

Redstone Winery Dining Hall with the Cross Laminated Timber (CLT)

Sustainability Features The beautiful landscape of Beamsville and its vineyard inspired the design of Redstone Winery. The concept focuses on a seamless weaving of building and landscape—predominantly rows of grape vines. Following the success of Tawse, our client decided to open a second, neighbouring winery called Redstone. With a planned restaurant and amphitheatre, it is designed to pull in visitors from Toronto—an hour away. Inspired by the red dust and clay, that is specific to the context; Redstone is carefully made up of red clay soil and large stones. A series of fieldstone walls run parallel to the rows of vines and recount the foundation walls of Ontario barns.

These walls frame the main dining and Tasting Rooms, which are lightly bounded by dynamic “view” glass walls.

The other employed materials are those found in agricultural context—barn board and galvalum—and the forms are reminiscent of silos and long fence rows. Highly sustainable, this new winery opened its door to public in May 2015.

Redstone Winery Tasting Area with the CLT ceiling

Redstone Winery Private Dining Room

Good Business The architecture—hospitality centre and a locally-inspired restaurant—offers a central node for the appreciation of the art of wine and food. It attracts and welcomes visitors from all over the country, providing them with a generous event space and a home-like environment to spend quality time with family and friends. The 38-acre estate vineyard, farmed organically and biodynamically, is perfect for maturing late-ripening varietals including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. There is also Pinot Gris on the property. Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay from recently acquired Limestone vineyard will round out the estate portfolio.

Legacy Built upon the rich traditions of southern Ontario agriculture and the viniculture of Niagara, the architecture responds to both the aspirations of the winery and a heightened passion for great food and wine.