The values of winemakers and farmers overlap, but what about that of architects and winemakers? While working on the Sequitur Winery in Newberg, Oregon, Chris Brown and Brent Linden—cofounders of Linden, Brown Architecture—learned that much like architects, winemakers draw on history, tradition, and the act of taking something old and making it new again. At Sequitur, the studio transformed an old dairy farm into a working winery and tasting experience, proving architects can be just as resourceful as winemakers by working with what’s already there.

Visitors are offered a taste of the process behind each glass. “We were driven by this question, ‘what would a farmer do here?’” Brown told AN, defining the design ethos for the project.

From the start it was clear that the property’s large red barn would be reclaimed. Grafted wood sourced from adjacent trees became roofing panels, made to resemble existing conditions: Each was felled and milled by the team on-site.

The concrete stave silo, once a structure for storing cow feed, was similarly a relic of the past. During demolition and excavation, it became apparent the cylindrical volume could be used to access a subterranean chamber full of manure, which winemakers then used as fertilizer. A dynamic new spiraling staircase now takes winemakers and visitors down to the cellar, which has been converted into wine storage.

But a key element the client wanted was a bespoke retreat. Linden, Brown’s design for a long, rectangular tasting room does just that. The volume’s bold, gabled profile evokes the rural character of the site, but it also exerts an elegance through large apertures and detailing. Bench seating along the custom window treatments frames views toward the barn, orchards, creek, and valley—though the vineyard is out of view. The tasting room is designed to be a sanctuary, “a space of respite amid the chaos of working,” Linden said.

Project Specifications

• Architect: Linden, Brown Architecture
• Interior design: Linden, Brown Architecture
• Landscape architect: Reed Hilderbrand
• Structural engineer: Grummel Engineering
• Civil engineer: WCL Engineering
• Electrical engineer: Glumac Engineering
• General contractor: AD Construction
• Windows and doors: Flux Design, Lincoln Windows
• Vertical circulation: MW Design Workshop
• Appliances: Zline, Everest
• Fireplace: Stuv
• Lighting: Louis Poulsen, Andrew Neyer
• Fixtures: Chicago Faucets
• Furniture: Design Within Reach