No detail was overlooked when it came to creating an innovative venue in a Marlborough vineyard – from its creative architectural design to its welcoming interior that combines relaxed hospitality with sophisticated electrical solutions.
The Vineyard Pavilion was built for Constellation Brands NZ, one of New Zealand’s largest wine companies and the country’s largest exporter of New Zealand wine, with its brands Kim Crawford and Nobilo the top two local wine brands in North America.
Hosting distributors, sales people and affiliates is a core component of its business and the company’s International Customer Liaison, Felicity Nelson, says there was a need for a space that could showcase the Marlborough vineyard and the Kim Crawford brand in a striking way. “I had a vision of what I wanted: to be able to host 25 people in the vineyard and to have great views. It was to be something modern and out of the box that would fit with the brand.” Constellation Brands also wanted energy saving elements as the Pavilion would need to run ‘off-the-grid’, powered by a gas generator.
Nelson engaged Special Projects, an Auckland-based architecture and design team that specialises in engineering creative solutions. Their answer was a shipping container – but with a difference. From the outside, the container looks weathered and forgotten, as though left to rust in the vineyard. Flanked by two decks, the clue that it somehow opens comes from two large inset steel arcs. The container walls then pivot out on large steel wheels that track along the arcs, revealing an interior dining area and tasting space, with views around the vineyard.