No compromise for immersive tasting room experience

Dowie Doole

When DOWIE DOOLE were developing their new immersive tasting room experience, they were as adamant with the design of the space as they are with the quality of their award-winning wines. Whilst aesthetics, sustainability and functionality were key considerations in the design, the client was unwilling to compromise on acoustics and authenticity.

Right from the start, sustainability was front of mind for the South Australian architect Oli Scholz of Scholz Vinall Design, who was commissioned to undertake this project. Rusty shipping containers transformed into a space that features extensive external decking moves through to wide opening doors making a seamless transition from vineyard to tasting room. The container arrangement allows for a gentle flow from outside to inside public space that then effortlessly becomes a private tasting room at the rear of the development.

Preserving the authenticity of the old, metal shipping containers would mean factoring in the acoustic environment, due to the potential for sound reverberation and echo between the hard surfaces of the interior space.  DOWIE DOOLE, understanding the importance of a positive soundscape, consulted Acoufelt’s expert acoustic design team.

Acoustic treatment of the ceiling presented the perfect surface solution given the specific design features of the space. Full Colour acoustic panels in ‘Piano Black’ cut to fit around lighting infrastructure provided exactly the right amount of absorption to achieve a great acoustic environment. The overall finish now sets a new benchmark for immersive wine tasting experiences in Australia – and the perfect expression of the very best of the Australian lifestyle to be found in the heart of the McLaren Vale.

Dowie Doole Image
Dowie Doole Image

The tasting room was built on a site in the vineyard described as a “disturbed site”, previously being used as a location to store rock and rubble from the property. One of the principles of sustainable architecture, however, is to build on an already disturbed site rather than disturb an untouched natural location. Right from the start, sustainability has been front of mind for the South Australian architect Oli Scholz of Scholz Vinall Design who was commissioned to undertake this project.

Even the structure of the tasting room talks about regeneration and transformation. Old rusty shipping containers transformed into a space that features extensive external decking moves through to wide opening doors making a seamless transition from vineyard to tasting room. The container arrangement allows for a gentle flow from outside to inside public space that then effortlessly becomes a private tasting room at the rear of the development.

The continuous flow of the design, the desire for authenticity and the use of old containers presented the architect and DOWIE DOOLE Managing Director, Chris Thomas, with some complex issue upon which Chris was unwilling to make any compromise. The acoustic environment inside the metal containers was one such issue.

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