Ca‘n Axartell Winery
New winery
The Ca‘n Axartell winery, some 5,000 m² in size, was built inside an old quarry in north-west Mallorca, in the municipality of Pollença. Only the north-facing main façade reveals the building, which is otherwise entirely set into the mountain. Here visitors are greeted by a light glass façade that forms a transparent curtain in front of the interior of this “Ali Baba’s cave”. Lit by skylights, the building is completely covered by an intensive green roof, and in this way closes an old wound in the landscape.
The freshly harvested, organically grown grapes are brought in, whatever the weather, through the tunnel alongside the building, whose design recalls a prehistoric cave. Flooded with light through skylights and side openings, this space shields the south-facing façade from the heat of the Mediterranean sun. Even in the hot summer months the temperature here is noticeably cooler, which greatly reduces the loss of temperature as the grapes are brought into the winery.
Renewable energy: set into the mountain and covered by an intensive green roof, the building stays at a constant 18 °C. It also makes use of passive energy gains through natural daylight from the skylights and shading of the south façade. A geothermal system laid beneath the building provides cooling in summer and heating in winter, and solar panels on the roof generate part of the electricity it needs.
Construction: the structure combines precast and cast-in-place concrete with masonry walls. The tunnel is built in sprayed concrete.
