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The Bodegas Faustino winery in Rioja Alavesa has opened its new visitor center. It was designed by the office of British star architect Sir Norman Foster. The owner family Martínez Zabala commissioned the Foster+Partners office six years ago to design the new buildings. Due to the war in Ukraine, material costs increased significantly, which meant that the project had to be completely reassessed. However, as Norman Foster said in an interview: "If there was one thing that was absolutely non-negotiable, it was sustainability." The new winery is "not just a building, but a strategy, a holistic vision." According to Foster, the solar panels on the roof of the visitor center produced so much energy that they could supply 70 percent of it to the winery, thus making it energy self-sufficient.
The new visitor center is designed as a "Planet 1.0" building. This means that its CO₂ emissions can be absorbed by the surrounding vegetation. Gentle changes in topography are intended to protect the winery from increasingly frequent heavy rainfall events. Natural building materials were used in the construction. The investment amount is 15 million euros.
(al / Source: drinksbusiness)