The region of Puurs, Belgium is serenaded with warm sun rays over its yellow-tinted landscape, where vineyards reside in a serenity that expands across the province of Antwerp. Its vastness is apparent with minor geographical elevation in the horizontal geography, providing a proper context for built structures such as Winery Valke Vleug by .
Designed by Belgian architecture studio , Winery Valke Vleug is an architectural experience of openness. Its parti are scattered around a pebbled courtyard, creating a monochromatic presence while staying true to the physical context. The main building retains characteristics of a Flemish farmhouse with a spanning typology and integrates modern materials such as concrete and dark timber for a timeless and adaptable aesthetic. The secondary structure is raised to accommodate living functions, yet its subtle difference in height still responds to the schematic architecture. Together, these geometric volumes compose a harmonic painting of extruded mass on a flat canvas.
Circled by rows of trees and arrays of vegetations, the main building serves as a space for wine tasting and wine production. It stretches on one side of the property, forming a solid wall that visually protects the vineyard in the back and re-aligns the courtyard formed by concrete partitions. Upon entering, visitors are welcomed with a bare opening that mimics an unaffected palette ready to embark on a journey of smell and taste. The dark wooden facades warms the eyes to signify a welcoming exploration of flavours to come, only to be broken up by slabs of concrete as to imply unexpected complexities. The metaphorical usage of materials here is inquisitively imaginative.
The interior mirrors the outer facades with dark wood claddings and concrete flooring, however, the introduction of metallic furnishes brings forth a sleek modernity that’s often unseen in images of a vineyard. Its generous height gives a sense of leisure and maintains a cozy atmosphere. At the heart of this public domain is a varnished wooden table corresponding to the running concrete surface atop the wine bar; their respective length deepens the narrow space. As a visual complementary, shelving displays of wine bottles create a functional and decorative pattern. The repetition of singular units on the interior also resembles nature on the outside.
By putting all public programmes on the ground level, Vincent Van Duysen was able to deliver an ease of access through each individual space. The navigation of outside, inside, then outside blurs the seams of their connections. Meanwhile, visual points are kept consistent for a comprehensive experience of the whole space. The spurs of full-height openings brings in the vineyard of Vinetiq like paintings on all sides of the central structure.
At night, Winery Valke Vleug is lit simply with rays of spotlights shone on concrete surfaces. The landscape’s quietness intensifies and the structure becomes an assemblage of land arts, standing still like cubic sculptures holding preserved treasures to be graced with daytime discoveries.