At the weekend we attended the opening ceremony of Sauska Winery’s Bar in Mád. This building has been one of our studio’s longest and most exciting projects.
We began planning it nine years ago, in 20014. The biggest question of the early conceptional phase was what kind of building should be designed on top of a hill? It should not look at all like a fortress or an Indian head-dress, it must be something that blends in with the landscape. Due to the scale of the investment it was pretty obvious that the operational areas would be below ground level and only the sculpture-like, delicate masses would appear over ground. And all would blend in with the hilly landscape of the historic wine region of Tokaj-hegyalja, which is covered with vineyards. To present the concept humorously, we invented the charming character of Elf Padi, a small, textile model of the hill. The client appreciated the idea saying: ‘this sounds so crazy, it must be done!’. So planning began.
With this year’s harvest the operational part of the winery began and the building was completed as well. However, the landscape design of the surroundings, the paving of the leading promenade and the design of the garden and parking areas are still under construction, so the official opening of the entire complex can be expected next spring.
