Delegat'S State Of The Art Marlborough Winery
A new $70m facility has taken shape in the heart of Marlborough's Wairau Valley
and is one of New Zealand's largest and most technologically advanced wineries with the first stage completed in time for the 2006 harvest in March. At final completion in 2008, the winery will be capable of producing more than 20 million litres of super-premium wine annually for the Oyster Bay brand, consisting of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Richard Bullock, Manager of Capital Projects at Delegat's Wine Estate Ltd
(Delegat's), the owners of the facility, says a considerable amount of research has gone into the project which has employed technology from the leading wine regions of the world, including California and South Australia. The best minds from New Zealand and around the world have been assembled to ensure a world-class outcome.
The centre piece of the facility is a six-storey high, 10,000 square metre temperate-controlled stainless steel cellar, housing tanks ranging from 5,000 to 160,000 litres capacity. The height of this impressive structure is driven by the size, height and volume of the wine tanks.
Michael Ivicevich, Chief Winemaker at Delegat's Wine Estate, says the whole wine making process is designed to ensure the fruit is handled as gently as possible at every stage to ensure optimum wine quality.
Richard Bullock reiterates that the winemaking processes were paramount to the design of the facility, with the building structure having to 'support' the winemaking requirements. There has been particular attention to detail in the design and look of the building as well as the products used to ensure the achievement of this objective. Consequently the architectural points of interest are seemingly endless.
Travelling down the long driveway encapsulated by perfectly formed rows of grape vines you are presented with a stunning sight. The project architect, Gavin Robins of Stiles and Hooker explains “The front entrance showcases a large curved glass wall emulating the serpentine form of the Wairau River. It provides visual movement to the building façade with the high tech reflective turquoise blue glass simulating the deep pools of the river and providing reflection. The carefully designed incline of the wall means that on approach you see reflections of the vines and trusses until it is reached and the 'life and soul' of the building interior is revealed.”
Anchoring the left hand end of the building are three imposing stainless steel balls skewered by equally impressive steel flagpoles. These are yet another example of the innovative design involved in the project. In Gavin Robin's words… “The Delegat's Wine Estate is of such a scale that it is diminished only by its majestic surroundings. The building is high tech in nature but is in harmony with its environment. It has life, a soul and attitude. It is sophisticated, it has beauty, it is important and it provides stimulation. This amenity will be an asset to the Marlborough District.”
To create this facility Delegat's gave Gavin Robins a clear brief that the facility should reflect its environment. Gavin responded by designing roof forms for the various building elements that are curved and layered rising from the valley floor to reflect the hills and ranges beyond, and the resulting finished product steals the attention away from the imposing Richmond ranges in the background.
'Delegat's had no preconceived ideas on roof materials', notes Richard, 'and we left it to Gavin to research options and make his recommendation to us'.
When Gavin came to us with the relatively new Dimond product, Dimondek® 630™, we had no hesitation in accepting his recommendation.
While we have had some challenges achieving the final aesthetic, the finished roof certainly supports the vision of the facility.
The drape curved roof features 3 layers and single sheets of Dimondek 630 up to 59.45 metres in length curved over a 250 metre radius. These huge dimensions were made possible by Dimond's on-site manufacturing unit. Roofing sheets that are transported can only typically be a maximum of 30 metres long, but there are few restrictions in terms of sheet length if they are made on-site. Scott Townsend, Marketing Communications Manager for Dimond explains “The roofing at the Delegat's winery is curved over the length of the building, and given the sheet lengths involved and design of the building, Dimondek 630 is the only product in New Zealand that could have been used. The curved design combined with the un-interrupted roofing sheets and multiple levels has created a stunning finish to a spectacular building.”
However, the unique roof is just one of many eye-catching design features. The 3,600m2 of cladding used for the winery utilises Dimond Corrugate with the Colorcote® ZRX™ paint system used on the interior side and Colorcote® ZR8™ on the exterior. Four different colours were specially formulated by Pacific Coilcoaters to form the external banded effect that reflects the colours existent in the surrounding environment and serves as a visual reduction of the height of the facility. Pacific Coilcoaters has the ability to develop colours to specific requirements for large commercial projects. On the other side of the Dimond Corrugate, Habitats Metallic Silver was chosen to give the internal walls a modern industrial look. This was in keeping with the stainless steel wine cellars and tanks as well as complementing the 10,800 square metre internal ceiling finished again in Dimond Corrugate but this time in unpainted Zincalume®.
The natural lighting used over the process area was curved Dimond Corrugate in Durolite and created a well lit area underneath while providing an effective visual contrast with the steel roofing from above. Dimondek 630 in Dimond Durolite was also used as natural lighting over the process room. DHS steel purlins were used in the roof structure and as girts in the wall structure.
The installation of the roofing, cladding and natural lighting was performed by JV Roofing Ltd, a joint venture company formed by Wayman Roofing Services Ltd and Graham Hill Roofing Ltd, both of Christchurch. Both are Dimond Certified Commercial Installers and their skill and experience were essential in ensuring the successful completion of the project. John Jones Steel Ltd also of Christchurch was responsible for the steel fabrication and installation of the DHS Purlins.