CHYBIK+KRISTOF’s Lahofer Winery reminisces traditional Czech wine cellars

The Lahofer Winery designed by architecture and urban design practice CHYBIK+KRISTOF has finished construction in the Moravian countryside of the Czech Republic. The contemporary design celebrates the region’s deep-rooted wine tradition through spaces that share a concern for nature - a modern wine-making facility, an administrative base and a visitor centre with a connecting tasting room.

The project finds its motivation in the legacy of Lahofer Winery - rooted in cultural heritage and deep respect for the natural environment. CHYBIK+KRISTOF’s design is nostalgic of the archetypal Czech arched wine cellars, responding to the architectural history and topography of the region. The design blends the region's wine culture with a modern structure in harmony with Moravia’s vine-laden surroundings.

Illustrating the concept, founding architects Ondřej Chybík and Michal Krištof explain, “The design of the Lahofer Winery is deeply rooted in nature, and in the respect thereof. At a time when culture and nature appear to be antagonistic forces, we envision a space reflective of the longstanding symbiosis between the two in the region – one that profoundly respects the environment on which it rests”.  

Taking cues from traditional wine cellars, the vault of the winery rests on a colonnade of beams that outlines the interior space into its storied curve. Echoing this shape, an undulant roof fuses into the winery in the ground, allowing visitors to use it as an open-air amphitheatre for cultural events.

Beneath the concave roof, the winery opens into a broad cellar canopied by exposed reinforced concrete arches. The arches were exclusively designed to fit a specific angle of the ceiling and are spaced in proportion to the distance between the vine rows. Each module emerges from a vine row and runs through the space, leading the viewer’s gaze across the grapevines while realising perfect symmetry.

The visitor centre beckons guests to thoroughly experience the produce in a tasting room and a barrique cellar made of wood, concrete and glass. Separated by a glass facade from the outdoor vine rows, the south-facing visitor centre brings in plenty of natural light. A grand mural by Czech contemporary artist Patrik Hábl enriches the entire ceiling, its irregular red and black spokes mimicking the variation of the fertile soil of the region.

The structure extends its material palette into two halls of distinct heights, each catering to specific productions. Processes such as the wine-making production and employee facilities are carried out in the first lower hall. The second hall centralises operations that require low temperatures like the winepress, the cellar and the wine store.

Emulating the landscape, the varied heights of the interior spaces create corresponding functional exterior courtyards, one that serves as an operational area, centralising logistic and production presses; and another that contains the amphitheatre, reaching out to ample views of the terrain.

The amphitheatre on the vast roof reorients the functional production complex into a site to encounter local culture and history. Surfacing from the rhythmic vines, the open community space hosts cultural events including local grape harvest celebrations and theatre performances, enabling wine connoisseurs to connect over the rich, historical landscape.

Project Details

Name: Lahofer Winery
Client: Lahofer Winery
Location: Dobšice, Czech Republic
Year: 2015
Completion: Spring 2020
Size: 3900 m2 (Ground floor area)
Status: Building Site
Team: Ondrej Chybik, Michal Kristof, Adam Jung, Lenka Vorechovska, Hanin Al-Gibury, Karolina Holankova, Martin Holy, Vojtech Kouril, Ondrej Mundl, Matej Strba, Zuzana Zathurecka, Zuzana Pelikanova, Victor Cojocaru, Laura Emilija Druktenytė, Zuzana Lisonova, Gabriela Volakova

(Text by Ankitha Gattupalli, intern at stirworld.com)