Reverent Terroir: Placemaking through Pilgrimage – the Design of an Okanagan Winery

Abstract

The thesis critically addresses the current architectural condition of the majority of the Okanagan region’s wineries. Their superficial nature, eager to pander to the area’s tourism industry, has left a noticeable void to architecture that truly engages with its surroundings and the emotional investment of its inhabitants and users. The resulting lack of “place” has sparked me to reinvestigate the qualities of the Okanagan landscape, the industrial processes of winemaking, and the patterns and rituals of both winemaker and visitor in an effort to create meaningful architecture.