The Ste. Michelle Estates WSU Wine Science Center is located along the Columbia River in Richland, the heart of Washington wine country. This is a unique, landmark project that now houses one of only two Enology/Viticulture research programs in the nation.
These are programs where the science of winemaking and the cultivation of grapevines is studied. The building includes a combination of traditional classroom space, research labs, a large event space, and an industrial space to be used as a working winery where the grapes are crushed, fermented, stored, and bottled right on site.
Rustin Hall, ALSC Architects, and principal-in-charge of this project stated, “The organizing thought for the project was ‘rough to refined, from field to barrel.’ This comes from the entire process of making wine from a natural fruit and refining it to something that is highly prized. We wanted to express that notion in the materiality of the building.”
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