Delatite Cellar Door

With sweeping views across Taungurung Country, the Delatite Cellar Door provides a unique wine tasting and dining experience located in the foothills of the Victorian Alps. The building utilises environmentally sustainable design principles and reflects the warmth and generosity of Delatite’s owners in a new commercial setting. Delatite are committed to sustainability via their biodynamic farming and wine production practices and aim to minimise their impact on the natural environment. The brief for the building included a tasting bar, retail space, commercial kitchen and small dining room, a large outdoor deck, landscaped terraces, separate amenities block, wood storage, back of house areas and storage. Designed to showcase Delatite’s wines, the project is a destination Cellar Door and accommodates a multitude of experiences including festivals, local markets, tours, dining, and private events. The building is a group of pavilions linked to courtyards, terraces, and decks. Blade walls extend into the landscape, with curated openings allowing glimpses through and across the building and surrounding vines. The entry is designed to respond to the scale and splendour of the mountain range. In contrast the timber clad tasting room and dining space nestle against the solid masonry providing shelter inside for the occupants. The reduced palette of timbercrete, timber lining, concrete aggregate and raw steel is used to create robust forms, frame views, draw light into the building and create a warm and generous interior. The building is 100% electric, and operationally net-zero benefiting the business, the environment, and the patron. The building was designed to be as thermally comfortable as possible. Public spaces are sited with northern light, and outdoor shaded areas help minimise energy consumption. Materials specified can be reused and recycled and are from sustainable sources supporting a circular economy. It is a landmark development for the Mansfield community and since opening Delatite have tripled their visitation numbers. The building incorporates biophilic design principles by using natural materials, connecting the user to the landscape and prioritising natural ventilation and daylighting. The interiors immerse the visitor in the landscape whilst providing shelter from the extreme weather. Openings are provided to give extensive views of the far-reaching landscape. Smaller curated views give closer connection to planted gardens. Several sustainable initiatives are employed including a large solar array that produces more energy than required, on site composting and waste management, electric car chargers, a large outdoor shaded deck, as well as passive heating and cooling, ceiling fans, cross ventilation, thermal mass, and the use of local building materials including timbercrete masonry and local blackbutt cladding. The building relies solely on harvested rainwater. The landscape includes a permaculture garden, orchard, firepits, marquee sites, and function lawns, and is designed as an extension of the architecture. The project demonstrates that architectural design can exceed the sustainable goals of a hospitality venue and provide delightful and enduring spaces to inhabit. The project has benefited the business and local community via increased tourism, employment, and community engagement and is a fully self-sustainable building.