3.25.22 | DIGS.NET 15
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extent, the wine cave is the perfect example of our design ethos
in action," says Brian Korte, FAIA and principal of Clayton Korte,
who headed the project with design team members Camden
Greenlee, AIA and Associates Josh Nieves, Brandon Tharp, and
Nicole Corwin. "We strive to make site specific, architectural
interventions that become so much a part of the landscape that
it is hard to imagine them not being there. The unique challenges
of building in a cave demand this type of sensitivity."
These logistical challenges—to safely and beautifully design a
wine cellar and lounge within the established constraints of an
existing excavation most primary—proved an opportunity for
Clayton Korte to leverage "resilience for longevity," as Korte, the
architect, puts it. The response, therefore, took two major forms:
The first was to insert a human scaled and more delicate wooden
module into the volume of the excavation, ship-in-a-bottle style,
to avoid physical interaction with the cave wall; and the second
was "to provide a bulkhead that effectively restrained the loose
limestone at the cave mouth and provide a predictable surface
to wed the wooden insert." By carefully manipulating the solids
and voids of a "wooden-box" insert, explains Korte, "the cave
could be concealed and revealed to the occupant, leveraging
the good qualities of subterranean construction while protecting
from unwanted moisture and darkness."
The firm's intelligent solution resulted in a sophisticated,
environmentally attuned space of 1,450 square feet with a
contemporary look and a residential feel, with room for storing
the clients' substantial wine collection of 4,000 bottles and the
flexibility to add more. Given Clayton Korte's mandate to further
transform the space not just for storage but also for entertaining,
they tapped their vast understanding of hospitality design and
created a dual-purpose concept. "By making it a mini 'destina-
tion,' away from the ranch house compound," Korte explains,
"the cave gave [the client] a venue to entertain family and invited
guests, as well as business associates within a short stroll from
ranch headquarters."
For a subterranean space, Hill Country Wine Cave is remarkably
light in feeling, with filtered natural daylight and a visual connec-
tion to the outdoors crucial to this outcome. The space's "simple,
yet rich, domestic material palette," as Korte describes it, was
chosen for "practical elegance, local availability and minimal
maintenance." Surfaced White Oak, both natural and ebonized,
and raw Douglas fir was used for wall panelling, cabinetry and
