De/Canted

Wine is never consumed in a neutral setting, and this building generates a series of charged atmospheres meant to draw out aspects of the wine through juxtapositions and pairings.

De/Canted is situated on the picturesque Douro River Valley famous for port wine production. The training center for both chefs and sommeliers stacks training programs vertically, so that the scent of the teaching kitchen can influence sommelier tastings on the upper levels. Scent is explored at three different scales: at the macro scale of scent chimneys, mid-scale of custom casework ribbon tables, and the level of the mateWine is never consumed in a neutral setting, and this building generates a series of charged atmospheres meant to draw out aspects of the wine through juxtapositions and pairings. De/Canted is situated on the picturesque Douro River Valley famous for port wine production. The training center for both chefs and sommeliers stacks training programs vertically, so that the scent of the teaching kitchen can influence sommelier tastings on the upper levels. Scent is explored at three different scales: at the macro scale of scent chimneys, mid-scale of custom casework ribbon tables, and the level of the material palette reacting to different elements in the wine.

Through further understanding of architecture’s connection to the somatosensory experience, the building evolves with the goal of producing a built environment that blends the history of the site, the heightening and focusing of the users’ senses, and the rigor of preparing to become a Master Sommerlier.