It’s Five O’Clock on a Farm: Deriving Architecture from Agriculture on an Annapolis Valley Winery

Abstract

Wine regions around the world lack authenticity. Authentic and healthy farming practices are abandoned and replaced with a monocrop approach, solely focusing on yields, destroying natural ecosystems. Narratives are relied on to stand out among competition, resulting in architecture concerned with spectacle and consumption rather than place and tradition. Product rather than process is emphasized during winery visits, creating a disconnect between those who drink wine and those who make it. The wine industry in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley is growing rapidly and risks going down this path of inauthenticity. Acting as a template for new wineries to follow, this thesis derives architecture from agricultural practices, uses procession as a method of revealing process, and crafts in-between spaces to create moments of programmatic overlap, facilitating interaction between the different users. This method of winery design creates a didactic and authentic experience that delays gratification and promotes process ahead of product.