Terroir: A Reflection on Craft & Practice through a new Wine Tasting Experience

Abstract

How can we find value in the things that we practice? The crux of this design-based thesis is an investigation into the practice of making and how architecture can demonstrate the value of the practice of the craftsman. The interest in exploring the role of the craftsman stems from my own desire to question why we practice our crafts and how architecture can play a role to allow us as people of craft to get better at telling the story of our practices. For the design aspect of this thesis, I will assume the role of the craftsman, and on a broader level, the role of the craftsman will be used as an analogy to critically engage with and reflect upon the design process and how my craft develops during the project. Reflection on my personal practice will allow me to expand further to discuss what drives us as architects to do what we do and how our architecture can demonstrate the value of our practice. This thesis investigates the roles of the maker and consumer in relation to the winemaking practice. The problematic relationship between the maker and consumer is often a one-way street, the maker makes and the consumer consumes, often without prior knowledge or understanding of the intention of the maker. This thesis addresses the need for a typology where the craftsman vintner and the wine consumer can have a conversation and discussion about the practice, and bridge the gap between maker and consumer. The design proposition presents a new wine tasting experience hosted by a series of architectural interventions. The journey through the vineyard sets out an architectural framework for a fuller experience of what it is to be a vintner, and the value of their practice through engagement with the terroir of the site and a range of wine tasting experiences.