Minimal in footprint and grounded by locally sourced, sustainable materials, Stoney Rise Cellar Door is a discrete structure centred on the visitor experience — a simple space to dwell in, converse, and absorb the vistas of northern Tasmania’s Tamar Valley.
Designed in collaboration with the owners, Stoney Rise is a considered space, both in scale and form, which reflects the winery’s values and modest wine-making process. For the owners, the space needed to accommodate larger groups yet still feel intimate to a lone visitor on a slow winter’s day. This narrative is reflected in Stoney Rise’s unimposing exterior and soft palette, which blends into the immediate landscape instead of dominating it.
Perched on a slight rise, the cellar door features simple architectural gestures, plinths, sharp rooflines, and blade walls, which gradually unfold as visitors approach the building. The form, wrapped around an external courtyard, acts as a barrier from the region’s notoriously strong winds. The building’s orientation is considered both for climatic purposes and to allow guests to enjoy sweeping views of the vineyards, the valley, and Kanamaluka (River Tamar) beyond.
Inside, the materials were chosen for their durability and sustainability, which will weather over time and help settle the form into the landscape. The spotted gum veneer, also used in the exterior cladding, warmly reflects the space’s natural light and frames the cellar door’s brickwork — the majority of which were sourced from the nearby Longford plant, the only carbon-neutral brick factory in Australia. The brick’s thermal mass, used in the walls and flooring, allows the building to naturally maintain a consistent temperature throughout the year.
The addition of the burgundy aluminium island, openly positioned near the centre of the tasting area, contrasts the texture of the space’s predominant materials and encourages long conversations rather than fleeting interactions.
View Original