A Rainbow in the Vineyard

John Hill
4. August 2022
Photo: Adam Potts (All images © Vertical Panorama Pavilion at the Donum Estate, 2022, Studio Other Spaces – Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann)
The pavilion is the latest addition to the Donum Collection, which consists of 50 monumental works by the likes of Ai Weiwei, Doug Aitken, and Louise Bourgeois that are spread across the 200-acre estate. (Photo: Adam Potts)
Vertical Panorama Pavilion is a hospitality space that is dedicated to tasting wine, complete with panoramic views of vineyards, the San Pablo Bay, and other pieces of the Donum Collection. (Photo: Adam Potts)
According to a press release from the Donum Estate, the calendar-inspired canopy "is centered on a northern oriented oculus and glazed with 832 colored laminated glass panels depicting yearly averages of the four meteorological parameters at the estate – solar radiance, wind intensity, temperature, and humidity."(Photo: Adam Potts)
Curving walls define three circular spaces beneath the canopy, the main one dedicated to tasting. (Photo: Adam Potts)
The tasting space is low, intentionally located below the line of the earth so visitors become aware of the soil and to frame views of the surroundings beneath the canopy. (Photo: Adam Potts)
The pavilion is located center-right in this site plan, with paths snaking to it from the parking lot and away from it, toward the artworks on other parts of the estate. (Drawing: Studio Other Spaces)
The paths converge at a central arrival space that is tangent to a smaller service space and the larger tasting area. (Drawing: Studio Other Spaces)
According to Eliasson and Behmann, "the specific design elements are abstractions of components taken from a vertical slice through the pavilion’s location on the estate." (Drawing: Studio Other Spaces)
"The glass panels consist of 24 colors in variations of translucent and transparent hues," per the press release, "which resonate colors of the local environment in the Sonoma Valley." (Drawing: Studio Other Spaces)
The way the seating is built into the earth is evident in this section, which also illustrates how the canopy addresses prevailing winds. (Drawing: Studio Other Spaces)
Wind tunnel testing illustrates the validity of the canopy's form. (Photo: Studio Other Spaces)
The canopy was fabricated off-site. (Photo: Studio Other Spaces)
On-site the completed canopy was moved from a flat concrete pad... (Photo: Adam Potts)
...into its final location just a few feet away... (Photo: Adam Potts)
...where it is supported on slender columns. (Photo: Adam Potts)

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