Czech architecture studio Chybik + Kristof has completed a winery nestled in the Moravian countryside in the Czech Republic. 

Named Lahofer Winery, the new building fuses the region’s longstanding wine tradition with a contemporary design in constant dialogue with the surrounding vines. 

Featuring an undulating roof, the gentle curves of the structure define the overall language of the winery, while the roof creating a large public space for visitors who want to walk on it.

Image © Chybik + Kristof

The building houses a visitor center, tasting room and production facilities, the structure immerses itself in the landscape, achieving a subtle symbiosis with the surrounding vines.

Reflective of modern wine-making processes, the building brings together three distinct interconnected structures – a wine-making facility, the winery’s administrative base, and a visitor center and adjoining tasting room. 

Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

Emulating archetypal wine cellars of the region, the vault of the winery rests on a grid of arched beams. 

Acting as a mirror of this shape, an undulant roof serves as an amphitheater for cultural events open to both locals and visitors, merging the winery into the ground – and the culture – on which it rests.

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

"The project finds its roots in the legacy of the Lahofer Winery – one grounded in a storied cultural heritage and a profound respect for the natural environment," said Chybik + Kristof. 

"Responding to Moravia’s topography and architectural tradition, rooted in the culture of wine, the architects conceive a design in symbiosis with the region’s landscape." 

"Reminiscent of the region’s characteristic arched wine cellars, a colonnade of vaulted beams frames the interior space into its storied curve," added the studio. 

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

On its exterior side, draping the winery, an undulant roof acts as an inclined open-air amphitheater and cultural venue. Lightening the volume of the building as it rests on the fertile soil, below lie three separate spaces – each attributed with a distinct function, they share a constant concern for the adjoining nature.

Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

Towered by the concave roof of the amphitheater, the space unfolds into a vast cellar, embracing the design of archetypal Czech wineries defined by the exposed rib construction of the arches. 

Each reinforced concrete arch is individually designed to fit a specific angle of the ceiling, while the distance between the arches is determined by that between the vine rows. 

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

Each module rises from a vine row and runs through the space, achieving perfect visual symmetry and guiding the viewer’s gaze across the grapevines. 

Enclosed in a glass façade and facing south, the visitor center draws abundant light as the windows act as concealed separation from the exterior vine rows. 

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

Informed by the ambient nature, the visitor center invites visitors to fully experience its produce in the barrique cellar, made of wood, concrete and glass, and adjoining tasting room. 

A large-scale mural painting by Czech contemporary artist Patrik Hábl covers the entire ceiling area. Its tampered, irregular and sparse strokes, ranging from earthy reds and blacks to terroir-reminiscent browns and beiges, echo the variations of the soil and its weightlessness as it seemingly lifts from the ground, leaving its timeless markings on the walls.

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

In the continuity of this material wave, the structure houses its production in two halls of distinct heights, each mirroring a specific process. 

The first lower hall centralizes the operations, including wine-making production and employee facilities, while the second allows for operations that require lower temperatures, such as the wine press, the cellar, and the wine store. 

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

The varying heights of the interior spaces, emulating the terrain, allow for the alignment of corresponding functional exterior courtyards. 

While one courtyard serves as the operational area, centralizing logistic and production presses, the other holds the amphitheater, extending sweeping views of the landscape.

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

"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," said founding architects Ondřej Chybík and Michal Krištof.

"The structure unfolds into the native terrain, immerses itself into the surrounding vine rows, thereby preserving the essence and integrity of both soil and culture." 

"Additionally, moving beyond a purely productive viewpoint, we prioritize the visitor experience, notably by allocating the roof as a public space open to local and international visitors – an experience essential to the understanding and appreciation of the wine."

Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

The architects take cues from the rhythmic vines for open space, the amphitheater invests the boundless roof, overlooking a horizon nourished by its history. 

Expanding on the Lahofer Winery’s function from a production site into a witness to the local culture, it acts as a community space dedicated to cultural events, including local grape harvest celebrations and theater performances – a hub for its lasting community to connect with visitors of the region and wide-ranging wine connoisseurs.

Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

Image © Alex Shoots Buildings

Chybik + Kristof is an architecture and urban design practice founded in 2010 by Ondřej Chybík and Michal Krištof. 

The office operates with over 50 international team members and offices in Prague, Brno and Bratislava, the practice aims at creating bridges between private and public space, transcending generations and societal spheres.

Project facts

Architects: Chybik + Kristof 

Client: Lahofer Winery

Location: Dobšice, Czech Republic

Year: 2015

Completion: Spring 2020

Size: 3,900 m2 (Ground floor area)

Status: Building Site

Team: Ondrej Chybik, Michal Kristof, Hanin Al-Gibury, Karolina Holankova, Martin Holy, Vojtech Kouril, Ondrej Mundl, Matej Strba, Zuzana Zathurecka, Zuzana Pelikanova, Victor Cojocaru, Laura Emilija Druktenytė, Zuzana Lisoňová, Gabriela Voláková.

Top image © Alex Shoots Buildings

> via Chybik + Kristof