Tow, Texas

The University of Texas, Spring 2009

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*Design Excellence

*Sound Building with Distinction

Professor Ernesto Cragnolino (Alterstudio)

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The three important programs of any domaine are making, tasting, and celebrating.  Each of these sectors is given equal attention and unified under a long, linear roof on axis with the existing vines.  The bold, expressive roof hovers over thin columns and staunch gabion walls, creating a deeply protected porch that forces views out across the landscape.  Like vernacular agricultural buildings, the form is simple and repetitive, providing clarity and calm.  The building is partially submerged into the rolling acreage, with each program more or less so, to take advantage of the thermal stability of the earth and to emphasize immersion into the land.