The climate in Napa Valley is extreme: very hot by day, very cold at night. In the United States where air conditioning is ubiquitous, architectural strategies which activate the walls in order to regulate the temperatures are relatively unknown. The design of Dominus Winery is a structure able to take advantage of these arid conditions. Gabions are placed in front of the facade - used in river engineering, these stone-filled wire containers are added to the walls, insulating against the blistering hot days and frigid nights. Filled with local basalt stones ranging from dark green to black, the gabions blend in with the landscape. These elements vary in density so that parts of the walls are impenetrable while others allow natural light to peek into the rooms during the day, and artificial light seeps through the stones at night. You could describe our use of the gabions as kind of stone wickerwork with varying degrees of transparency, more like skin than traditional masonry. Herzog & de Meuron 1997 137 Dominus Winery Yountville, Napa Valley, California, USA Project 1995, realization 1996-1998 Image 1 & 2 © Architekturzentrum Wien, Collection photo: Margherita Spiluttini Image 3 Mockup of the Dominus Winery Envelope © Herzog & de Meuron #hdm_completeworks #hdm_process #hdm_137 #herzogdemeuron #dominuswinery