Winery near Milan by Studiopizzi

Production below, salesroom above: Pietro Pizzi brings very differing uses together under a delicate roof at the Agricola Il Ceresé winery in Montevecchia. The client mainly grows wine grapes and other fruit on 16 ha of land but also produces cheese, juices and jams – in other words a wide range of products for display in the building's salesroom on the first floor, which is adjoined by a large covered area. Here a round roof opening offers a view of the Madonna del Carmelo church on a ridge over the town some 30 km northwest of Milan.  

Built into a slope 

The hilly terrain influenced the design for the new building, which is situated on a plot that slopes to the southeast. From the western side of the slope, only the open second storey with its delicate steel supports and the flat, slightly upward curved roof are visible at first.

The ground floor clad in colour-coordinated red brick opens to a small wooded area to the east, whereby the earthy colour was chosen in order to merge the new-build into the surrounding landscape. Four long spatial sequences containing workshops and storage cellars are to be found behind the reliefed brickwork of the facade.   

A place for work, sales and culture

A row of reinforced concrete arches spans the winery's barrel cellar. In the first and last vault bays, overhead windows bring natural light into the underground spaces. A second cellar vault, kept clear of production equipment, contains the client's art collection and is to be available for social events.  

The salesroom on the upper floor is enclosed on three sides but opens via a filigree glass facade to the roof terrace. A steel spiral staircase connecting the building's two storeys leads up to the flat roof, where now well-established greenery blends the building almost seamlessly into the landscape even when seen from on high.