General Contractor: Tabor Constructions (PTY) Ltd
Subcontractors:
The main objective of the Quoin Rock Wine Estate renovation was to bring in a level of creative modernity and contrast by combining existing brick wall structures with completely new glass and metal structures.
Symbolism became a Driving Force of the Reconstruction Project! And the Idea was to respect the surrounding Nature and Landscapes which gives us the amazing resources to create the end result — our much loved range of wines. Red soil, water streams from the Simonsberg mountain, Wine. Reference to the circle of Life is exhibited in our Architectural and structural elements.
The original shape of the building prior to renovation looked like two long parallelepipeds which we decided to ‘cut through’ with a new element — Pergola (much like one would cut through it with a knife). The Pergola’s crisscrossed I-beams structure is filled with laser cut decorative panels, and now offers the perfect aesthetically pleasing shading for the outside wine lounge and restaurant area.
The former warehouse of the Winery has been renovated into what is now referred to as the Venue Hall. The whole northern facing side brick wall was removed, to completely open that side of the facade of the Venue Hall unto its picturesque natural surroundings.
The goal was to seamlessly incorporate the spectacular exterior landscape into the interior space. The Venue Hall includes marble flooring, glass walls and huge pivot screens with laser cut panels that hides the two doors leading to the industrial restaurant kitchen. The Hall is beautifully finished off with magnificent brass chandeliers manufactured by Charles Haupt (Bronze Age Studio in Woodstock).
When the northern side wall was disassembled, we found that the main concrete columns of the building had lost their structural strength. We then decided to replace the previous concrete columns with metal. This resulted in a conversion of the space using the stronger combination of existing concrete and brick structures seamlessly interwoven with the new metal structures (metal columns, Pergola, Venue Extension).
The idea with the Venue Extension was to re-create and “mirror” the original body or silhouette of the existing building within the new metal structure. But the main body of the Extension had to effectively disappear into or merge with the surrounding landscape. The reflection of the venue’s tinted glass panels, chosen for the renovation, achieves exactly that. Now the Venue Hall Extension effectively portrays a beautiful “mirror box” set within the new metal structure, which repeats the shape of the original building’s façade, and reflects the beautiful natural surroundings.
The main entrance to the Winery uses a combination of strong symbolic displays: water, the soil of the Simonsberg mountain slopes, the aligned structural layout of the surrounding vineyards, and the silhouette of the Simonsberg mountain range.
Rusted metal frames made of Domex steel creates an illusion of the entrance being a portal into what promises to be a mysterious experience. These frames are the same colour as the red soil of the Simonsberg slopes. The outside waterfalls and pond are symbols of the streams and river which feed the vineyards. The design was inspired to effectively reflect the circle of life in the winelands. In the Reception area we continued the theme of symbolic combinations.
Charles Haupt (Bronze Age Studio in Woodstock) created 5,5 meters Vine sculpture in bronze for the reception area, with the creation looking like an actual vine.
Using antique solid French oak panels throughout, Pierre Cronje created a silhouette of the Simonsberg Mountain range for the reception space — the different textures and colors of the French oak panels allowed him to bring a level of depth into the composition which creates an almost three-dimensional feel with this piece. The theme of the French oak panels are repeated in the reception desk; and in a unique bar counter in the restaurant area, which resembles our wooden egg-shaped wine barrels housed in the Cellar. He also manufactured the restaurant’s tables and chairs to reflect the overarching architectural design — the inspiration was to design and create ergonomic and luxuriously comfortable furniture unique to Quoin Rock, and complementing our restaurant space perfectly.
Clive Giliomee (water feature designer and engineer at Water In Motion) created unique water falls and ponds. The water theme was, for example, also incorporated into the bronze vine sculpture in the reception area which seems to be “drenched” in water droplets — this gives the sculpture a sense of aliveness.
