The young but well-acclaimed winery commissioned a building which would in itself be an identifying symbol, a marketing tool for the new brand. The building functions both as a factory for the production of wine and as a visitor center that exposes the process of wine production: beginning with the vineyards alongside the road that leads to the winery, cotinuing with the walk through the factory with a tour guide, wich enables glimpses of the barrel room where the wine is kept for ageing, and culminating with the balcony and store for wine-tasting and shopping.

Because the winery is kosher, strict laws forbid any non-religious person to touch the wine in any of its stages until it is hermetically bottled. This restriction posed a unique challenge in planning the tour through the factory, requiring an absolute separation between visitors and the wine in its various stages. The plan of the building is therefore based on its paths of circulation: one route for the wine, another for the visitors.

The materials signify the separate functions: oak planks accompany the visitors on their route, while aluminum cladding envelops the factory areas. 

Another challenge in the planning process was the tight schedule. The factory began processing the wine while the building was still in skeletal form, demanding that we continue to plan and build around the already active factory.