Architects: PL-T Architecture Studio
Area: 8334 m² (89707 ft²)
Year: 2021
Photographs: Jianfeng Wang
Lead Architect: Jianfeng Wang
Landscape Design: Guangzhou PL-T Architecture Studio
Interior Design: YINCHUAN DAMU DONGTIAN STUDIO
Engineering: Sichuan ShengTai Architectural Reconnaissance & Design Co. Ltd.
Interior Designer: Pai Zhang
Client: Qamdo YibaLiuwu Zangmi Industry Co. LTD.
City: Markam
Country: China
Quzika Winery in Markam County, Tibet, designed by PL-T Architecture Studio, aims to generate income for local Tibetans by combining a winery with cultural tourism. Situated at the foot of Dameiyong Snow Mountain, the winery integrates into the natural landscape, utilizing traditional Tibetan masonry and gravity-flow design. The project features a waterscape roof and public spaces harmoniously blending with the environment, completed in 2021.
Located in Quzika, Markam County, Tibet, the project aims to generate income for local Tibetans by establishing a winery that offers a cultural tourism experience to alleviate poverty through the development of local industries. The winery is at the foot of Dameiyong Snow Mountain, near the Lancang River, ancient salt fields, and Tibet’s only Catholic church. The site’s natural environment features mountain terraces, century-old walnut trees, and grape vines, with mountain streams flowing by an ancient water mill.
The project’s vision is to construct a natural scene rather than a conventional building. In the Tibetan mountains, the design hides within and builds with nature, learning from the Tibetans and the environment. The approach respects the mountains by allowing nature to be the designer, creating a unique, integrated scene that can only exist in this location.
The gravity-flow winery, hidden at the foot of the snow mountain, uses a top-down, efficient process flow, taking advantage of the site’s height difference and achieving earthwork balance. The mountain is transformed into the winery’s process space, embedded in terraces to adapt to natural landforms and avoid old trees.
The roof of the process space is designed as a waterscape, forming a salt field. Natural spring water from the mountains flows through the roofs, eventually merging into the Lancang River. Seasonal variations in meltwater create different water levels, giving the building dynamic scenery.
The winery’s public space, composed of three “rocks” on the “salt field,” is adorned with walnut trees and integrates with the mountain rocks to recreate the natural scene.
The outer wall material, sourced from existing site stones, extends the original stone wall. This choice enhances the thermal insulation of the brewing space and is economically viable. The overall design creates a poetic scene: the “salt field” extends into the Lancang River, with an old tree between the riverside rocks. The winery serves as a daily activity space for villagers, harmoniously linking the mountain and river.
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Project Location
Address: Quzika, Markam County, Chamdo, Tibet, China
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
