Project Details
- Project Name
- Mission Hill Family Estate
- Architect
- Olson Kundig
- Client/Owner
- Mission Hill Family Estate Winery
- Project Types
- Commercial
- Project Scope
- New Construction
- Size
- 120,000 sq. feet
- Year Completed
- 2000
- Project Status
- Built
Project Description
Situated on a prominent hill rising above the floor of the Okanagan Valley, the Mission Hill Winery is a 120,000-square-foot complex of buildings designed to transform the visitor. As visitors pass through the welcoming entry arches, they enter a world dedicated to wine. A Wine Education Center with a small theater anchors the visitor experience. An outdoor loggia, amphitheater and vineyard terrace provide breathtaking views of the lake and valley below. A 12-story bell tower is the focal point of the courtyard. The design, consciously serene, eschews festival-like architecture in favor of a timeless, monastic quality.
On the exterior, earth-toned concrete give the building forms an understated, contemporary aesthetic. The buildings surround a central courtyard and amphitheater. Inside the buildings, the visitor is embraced by quiet, cool, and dimly lit spaces. The belltower—an 85-foot-high viewing tower—rises above the courtyard affording incredible views of the valley and becomes a signature for the winery itself. Dramatic underground cave cellars highlight the winemaking education tour, media center, boutique and tasting areas. Exterior courtyards and gardens provide space for picnicking.
In addition to general visitor areas, there are VIP areas that include special reception/banquet halls and tasting areas. Guest quarters for VIPs are set in the vineyards to reinforce the connections to wine and the process of winemaking. Parking and site circulation is located in such a way as to separate their presence from the arrival sequence. Business offices, a winemakers lab, and commercial kitchens for banquet and events catering round out the program.
Project Team: Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, Design Principal
Key Consultants: Selco Construction, General Contractor; R. Martin Cruise, Associate Architect; Lovinger 2, Landscape Design; Cedarscape Ltd., Landscape Contractor; John Bryson & Partners, Design Consultants and LeBihan Engineering, Structural Engineers; Yoneda & Associates and Bains Leslie Engineering, Mechanical Engineers; Brown Strachan Associates and Michael Yantis, Acoustical Engineers; Falcon Engineering & Lighting Design, Electrical Engineer; Viekman, Orangutang, Ltd., and Siebert & Associates, Interior Design
Photographers: Nic Lehoux, Paul Warchol, Matt Anderson / Olson Kundig