Painted Rock Estate Winery Tasting Room

Location: Penticton, British Columbia | Canada
Architect: Fallowfield Design + Development in association with Robert Mackenzie Architect Inc., British Columbia | Canada
Construction: Laing Roofing Ltd., Kelowna, British Columbia | Canada
Fabricator: Keith Panel Systems Co. Ltd., Vancouver | Canada
Year of construction: 2013
Material: ALUCOBOND® PLUS Natural Reflect Mirror and Custom Seafoam Metallic

“We wanted to build something that was worthy of the site,” said Skinner. “Previously, we reinforced the message in the community that we were all about the wine. We wanted to honor consumers and the Painted Rock community. … We chose a contemporary building design – but one that seems in place.”

Skinner has described the view from the new tasting room – which is situated atop a picturesque bluff overlooking the vineyards and Skaha Lake with vistas of nearby mountains – as “one of the most beautiful views in the world.”

Dominic Unsworth, architectural designer, Fallowfield Design + Development, of Kaleden, British Columbia, in association with Penticton-based Robert Mackenzie Architect Inc., created a sleekly contemporary building design for the Painted Rock Estate Winery Tasting Room that makes the most of the natural view while honoring the brand’s upscale marketing approach.

Cladding this contemporary building design is a total of 2,400 square feet of modern Alucobond® aluminum composite material (ACM) in the 4mm thickness, including 1,800 square feet of Alucobond® in the Seafoam Metallic color and 600 square feet of Alucobond® naturAL in the Reflect finish.

The Alucobond® panels were fabricated by Keith Panel Systems Co. Ltd. (KPS), of Vancouver, British Columbia, and installed by Laing Roofing Ltd., of Kelowna, British Columbia, with the KPS System A Plus pressure-equalized rainscreen.

Formable Alucobond® ACM played a vital role in creating the tasting room’s flowing form not only by accommodating the design’s radius curves but through its surface color.

“The bluish (Seafoam Metallic) Alucobond® material features a luster that seems to change as the natural light changes,” said Skinner. “From bright sunny days to dark hazy days, the building’s appearance evolves profoundly. One day, it’s one building; the next day, it’s another. We’re very excited about it.”

The Alucobond® naturAL material in the Reflect finish was used to accent two building wing areas with a mirror-like finish that reflects the area’s natural beauty. Guests can enjoy these views in the cladding as they walk to and from the tasting room and its open patio areas to the winery’s landscaped event lawn.
“The building wings are tipped with this mirrored surface that reflects the moonrise in the east and the sunset in the west,” said Unsworth. “In daylight conditions, it changes nicely and picks up a lot of the naturally-lit surroundings. There are fantastic views of the lake as well as the hills and mountains visible in this cladding.”
For long-time Alucobond® fabricator KPS, the Painted Rock Estate Winery Tasting Room construction project marked the company’s first fabrication of Alucobond® naturAL Reflect.
“We were very impressed with the consistency of the Reflect panel surface,” said Paul Dalzell, KPS operations manager. “We know how difficult it can be to work with mirror-finish products from past experience; but, Alucobond® Reflect was extremely easy to fabricate and produced great results.”
Dalzell believes that the Alucobond® naturAL Reflect material will prove valuable in future KPS projects, including creating accent column covers featuring a flat mirror-like surface.
“The Reflect material will have a big impact – especially in our niche markets – because it offers the versatility and economy of Alucobond® with a mirrored finish. Previously, you’d have to use expensive, heavy-gauge stainless steel to get this type of effect.”
Incorporating the Alucobond® naturAL Reflect in the tasting room’s cladding was one of the reasons that this contemporary building design was selected for Painted Rock Estate Winery.
“The Alucobond® and the Reflect materials were suggested for this building design,” said Skinner. “In our context, it really works. It’s beautiful. This material brings the glorious natural periphery – including the lake and the mountains – into the building. … This building is really striking. We’ve seen the immediate appeal that it has with people journeying to the grounds. It’s wonderfully appropriate for this site.”