hill – Leo Hillinger Winery, Jois / Burgenland

The vinary Hillinger forms a symbiosis of landscape, viticulture and architecture in its whole. As a result of its special, sensitive in addition, difficult situation in the midst of the wine gardens of Jois, deeply dug into the soil, re-covered and re-planted, a special attraction in handling landscape arose for architecture. Following the earth cellars of the cellar lanes of earlier days with the project the advantage of the earth climate was particularly used. The part with the presentation premises should be a far away visible, sensitively set indication, which goes at night by a large lit window into action. Only the 8 cutted pyramids over the large production hall, aligned to the north, bring natural light into the working place. Climate and temperature are crucial for the success of the wines.

The task of building actually already with difficulty, opened by the special situation outside of the place, between mountains, flat level with wine gardens, the place Jois and the lake Neusiedl with its wind and with its special climate excellent for the wine, a large challenge. The condition of the soil, reddish-yellow slate, over it best humus earth, and extreme drynesses made from the building site and the surrounding country at the beginning a dust zone. The conditions of work were extremely difficult. Into the 8 meters deep hole a concrete cellar was set to create on top 8 diagonally cut pyramids around optimal exposure for production and tank cellar present under it.

The entire basement area with production and storage will again be re-covered with earth and re-planted with wine after completion. Only like a periscope the presentation area is rising up out of a mole hill, and goes outward into action. Within the building there are continuous view relations, on the one hand for the winegrower as a check of production and the fermenting tanks, on the other hand for the wine customers and lovers, who can watch the production of their wine. The views from the presentation area lead the eye on the one hand to the Leithagebirge, on the other hand directly into the wine gardens, which create another picture tendency depending upon season. No projections, but bringing nature and its pictures mark this area by its dark nut furniture. The nut was and is far more common, beside the cherry, in the Burgenland a "wine garden tree". Almost in or before each wine garden several nut trees stand. From the accessible and like-crude-planted roof one has the most wonderful views in each direction, also to the lake Neusiedl.

Operation diagramme:
The L-shaped building consists of production -, tank and bottle storage -, barrique - and presentation areas. In the long thigh of the L production and storage, the transition to the presentation areas take place. The office, the technology and the sanitary plumbings are below the presentation area, which extends far and pushes its monitor disk into the environment. It rests on V-shaped spun concrete supports.

AIT Best of Shop Architecture Award 2008, 2nd Prize

Project Team: Matthias Raiger, Klaus Rösel, Ernst Tschabuschnig, Robert Hammer, San-Hwan Lu, Eduard Begusch
Construction Supervision: Josef Krailer
Client: Leo Hillinger
Completion: 2004
Images: Michael Sazel