Hotel Marqués de Riscal, Spain

A series of rectilinear elements, clad in sandstone, combined with sweeping panels of gold and pink titanium, and mirror finish stainless steel.
Located in Elciego, in the Rioja region of Spain, and is one of the oldest wineries in the region. The site for the building is approached along a road that leads through the vineyards and through existing wine production facilities that date primarily from the mid-nineteenth century. The building is lifted above the site on columns, creating a small entry plaza beneath the building itself and providing breathtaking views of the vineyards, the San Andres Church, and the surrounding town and region from each of the areas located in the upper levels of the building. Distributed throughout the three upper levels of the building are fourteen guest bedrooms, a wine tasting room, a 172-seat restaurant including a public dining room, a private dining room and outdoor dining terraces, and conference facilities. Offices and meeting rooms for administrative staff are located adjacent to the building and are linked both to the building and to existing winery offices and production facilities.

The entry plaza leads to the reception area and to a bar, which are set along the edge of a small area of the vineyards. An outdoor terrace leads to a small pool, and a covered walkway extending from the building allows visitors the opportunity to overlook the vineyards and the surrounding region. -arcspace.com-

Photo © Thomas Mayer, Sketch courtesy Gehry Partners, LLP.
Building area: 3,000 square meters
Annex: 4,000 square meters
Completed: September 2006

Architect: Gehry Partners, LLP
Design Partner: Frank O. Gehry
Design partner, Project Designer: Edwin Chan
Project Partner: Terry Bell
Project Architect: Andy Liu
Project Team (Gehry):
Richard Barrett
Joejohn McVey
Colby Mayes
Guillermo Angarita
Albert Lee
Chad Dyner
Jonathon Rothstein
Matt Gagnon

Executive architect: IDOM
Architecture:
Idom (architecture):
Cesar Caicoya
Pilar Mateo
Eva Madariaga
Virginia Canales
Fernando Perez Fraille
José Sáenz de Argandoña Zatarain
Alberto Mínguez Ropiñón
Amaya Lastra

Idom (structural):
Javier Gómez Corral
Miles Shephard
Karl Blette
Miguel Angel Frías Villafruela
Eduardo Sáinz de la Encina,
Juan Ignacio Lesarri
Shyamala Duraisingam

Idom (mechanical/electrical engineering):
Patxi Sanchez
Alberto Ribacoba
Maria Aspiroz
Jon Landaburu