A strip of slope raised to “hide” you under the volume that houses the activities of a winery. Thus was born, set in the landscape of Soave, a medieval village in the Verona area, the Leonildo Pieropan Winery designed by the architect Moreno Zurlo - A.c.M. and Studio

In a rural setting, not far from the medieval walls and the Castle of Soave, in Veneto, vineyards and territory, landscape and architecture interact naturally to merge, literally.

Here, in April the Cantina Leonildo Pieropan was inaugurated, the third winery of the family Pieropan, which will become an operational center characterized by a history that has its roots in the nineteenth century and a vision aimed at the future, all innovation and sustainability , entrusted to the fourth generation: Andrea and Dario, children of Leonildo and Teresita.

The result of five years of work, the cellar, largely underground, is an architectural work by great impact scenic and at the same time mimetic which is proposed as a "work tool". It was conceived both to produce wine and to welcome wine lovers and come into direct contact with the philosophy of the Pieropan family, made of passion and deep knowledge, patience and continuous research of the highest quality.

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Cantina Leonida Pieropan, Soave (Verona)

A jagged and mimetic project

Strongly desired by the founder's grandson, the homonymous Leonildo Pieropan, and named after him, the winery project is based on a strong and at the same time simple idea (in theory, we mean): to lift a flap of the slope (over 60,000 cubic meters) to hide the large volume necessary for carrying out the wine-making activity, so as to respect the environment, by setting itself in the landscape that welcomes and protects it.

The structure of the architectural artifact is made up of 28-meter concrete slabs without supporting columns, while the ceiling supports a two-meter-high ground, on which an unprecedented driveway vineyard was created.

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Cantina Leonildo Pieropan. Ph. Courtesy Fila Solutions

The multifaceted front

Designed by the architect Moreno Zurlo of A.c.M. Studio , the structure, largely underground, has a single, long and sinuous multifaceted limestone facade, similar to the fascinating natural stone structures typical of the area and characterized by plays of light and shadow.

The trend of the jagged front in limestone visually looks like a a crag of the ground that envelops the elevation difference generated by the change in altitude between the new green roof, the raised strip of land and the natural slope of the ground.

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L'ingresso della Cantina Leonildo Pieropan, Soave (Verona). Ph. Courtesy Fila Solutions

Materials of local origin

The selection of materials for the structure and cladding of the interior of the cellar was very accurate. Brass, Vicenza natural stone, Euganean trachyte, lime: all locally sourced to minimize the use of polluting means of transport, all of which change with and over time, just like the wine that is produced inside.

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Cantina Pieropan con facciata in pietra di Vicenza di Grassi Pietre e vetro

Symbiosis...

The structure lives in symbiosis with the environment: it proves to be functional and rational in the distribution of the processing rooms (drying, vinification, bottling, laboratory, packaging, sales) along the sinuous façade towards the valley, while those of refinement, which do not need natural light, are underground. The part dedicated to production has been flanked by some reception facilities and meeting and tasting rooms, to savor the winemaking reality at 360 degrees.

... and sustainability

Every aspect of the design is innovative and developed in a sustainable way: from the rainwater recovery system, to the natural regulation of temperatures in an underground environment up to the use of materials at almost zero km to limit the impact on the external environment, so as to pay homage to the noble attachment to the origins of the Soave area, a territory where "there is no wine without a landscape, nor a landscape without vineyards".

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La facciata della Cantina Pieropan in pietra di Vicenza di Grassi Pietre con trattamento Fila Solutions

Vicenza stone

To create the peculiar, long and rhythmic façade, Vicenza stone was extracted and worked by Grassi Pietre in its declination in Giallo Dorato, with a brushed finish and a thickness of 3 cm. The stone slabs, interspersed with large vertical glass cuts, were mounted with a sustainable solution to the ventilated wall, which, thanks to an invisible mastery, was able to bear the weights and manage the complexity of the design planning.

The company from Veneto supplied 1,400 m2 of cladding and 2300 pieces of different stone, distributed in faceted columns, cut with numerical control machines where one piece does not come out the same as the other and where each piece is also customized in a safety optics.

If from a distance the faceted façade appears compact and monumental , from close up corals, shells, algae and shells of marine organisms that populated the seas of the Po Valley forty million years ago emerge to animate the irregular surface of primordial presences. It is the stone that brings history to life and not vice versa.

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La pietra di Vicenza di Grassi Pietre protetta con prodotti Fila Solutions

Protection

Fila Solutions was contacted by Grassi Pietre to deal with the Vicenza stone columns that dictate the rhythm of the facade. A natural material, stone, which just like wine lives the seasons and changes over time, requires adequate care.

For the preliminary cleaning we have chosen to use the neutral detergent with natural effect Cleaner Pro. At the request of the client, who wanted to give the material a reflective effect and protect it from any stains, the surfaces were subsequently treated with Wet.

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Sala La Rocca allestita con creazioni luminose scultoree firmate Catellani&Smith

Natural finishes

Even the interiors of the cellar have been finished with natural materials, resulting in better air quality. Paced by a harmonic and weighted chromatic scale also in the contrasts and emphasized by plays of light, they give a beneficial blend of sensory emotions, impregnated with intoxicating grape scents.

Like a sanctuary of wine, the Calvarino rooms and the Rocca dominate the path of the Pieropan Winery, this 'ultima embellished with a ' evocative installation of light sculptures signed Catellani & Smith bronze and gilded.

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Sala Calvarino

Tactile territorial evocations

The vocabulary of materials that define the architecture of the cellar is one with the appearance and characteristics of the surrounding cultivated land. The wall finishes created by La Calce del Brenta for different areas, such as entrance, offices and reception of guests.

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Rivestimenti La Calce del Brenta all'interno della Cantina Pieropan
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Rivestimenti La Calce del Brenta all'interno della Cantina Pieropan

The imperfect and velvety shades

Based on lime, the Contrasto finish evokes concrete. Selected in the intense variant Tobacco 5082 and dyed by sample in a beige tone, it creates a surface with a essential yet refined approach in its simplicity. But even the most neutral shades can become vibrant when with their irregular appearance they recall ancient memories, while to the touch they are smooth: they unexpectedly light up with the energetic charge of a new material. Like the Riva finish by Calce del Brenta, which, in the sophisticated Cashmere shade, illuminates the entrance and office walls.

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La Calce del Brenta
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Rivestimenti La Calce del Brenta - La Calce del Brenta
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Rivestimenti La Calce del Brenta - La Calce del Brenta
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Rivestimenti La Calce del Brenta
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