ZIHAN LIN
Martin Road Estate Winery - Niagara


The inspiration of this design for the winery came from the analysis of the tectonics and geology of the site. Upon visiting the site, I discovered that there are some unevenly distributed cracks throughout the gleysolic soil. The soil is the foundation for producing flavorful grape that can later be processed into wines, hence the design intent played off from the patterning of the soil. I lowered the building into the earth, to have the roof at ground level with the earth. The roof will share the same formation of cracks as the soil, and some of the cracks are designed to be windows that will allow lights into the building. There are two towers of my winery that will peak out from the ground, just like the vines. Their exterior cladding compose majorly of polycarbonate at the bottom and transparent glass on top. This design shares the idea of grafting of the European grape vines with the North American grape vines. It is a combination of two identical materials to produce something better.











Toronto Metropolitan Department of  Architectural Science Toronto, CA.