Joseph 2.0 has been designed to complement the Krug Family House project (visitor circuit and reception areas) delivered by AW² in 2016 located in Reims, France. In both cases, the aim was to design a project that tells the story of Maison Krug, pays tribute to its history whilst creating a new state-of-the-art facility. Here, in Ambonnay, the project integrates on the one hand an architecture that responds to the scientific process of making champagne and, on the other hand, the the relationship that Maison Krug maintains with its terroir, its land and the wider region. “Joseph 2.0” – named in homage of the founder Joseph Krug – concentrates the Champagne House’s oenological activities within a modern and functional complex.

Designed in collaboration with GNAT Ingénierie, the project is composed of two large naves, that host the new cellars below and whose curved form and copper-coloured roofs blend the complex into the site situated on the periphery of the town of Ambonnay and the vineyards beyond. The building’s plan illustrates this relationship. On the eastern side, where the project comes into contact with the urban environment, a large courtyard, known as the Cour d’honneur, has been implanted in between the naves to create a dialogue with the place Barancourt (Barancourt Square) opposite, thereby opening the project onto the public realm and creating a relationship with the town. The facades of the two naves dialogue with the town’s architectural language and colour palette to integrate the design into the locality. The facades include the ‘K pattern’ designed by AW², a signature that affiliates the building to Krug Champagne without for as much being a logo. The ‘K pattern’ can also be found in the Krug Family House reworked into the architecture and interiors down to the accessories designed by AW² such as bespoke speakers and tableware. To the west, where the building meets the vineyards, the interplay of millstone walls, the undulations of the vines and the new landscaped gardens create an intermediary transition space between the complex and the nature beyond. 

THE ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT:
BETWEEN TOWN & VINEYARD

Joseph 2.0 offers a new vision of the Clos d´Ambonnay. Through its implantation and orientation, the building aims to foster a renewed relationship between the vineyard and the town. The shape of the curved roofs makes reference to the large cellars historically used by Maison Krug. The roofs wrap around the outer walls, a symbol of the roots of the project with its site. To protect the central courtyard, an expansive high-performance canvas awning is suspended, connecting the naves and providing circulation space below. Behind, the central building that joins the two naves creates a marked difference in the architectural language of the complex through its geometry and location. This building houses office space that is accessible from the courtyard and the naves.

The complex has been organised in order to maintain the workspaces towards the front of the building – where transportation and accessibility are key – and the gardens to the rear, where the building recedes with the natural incline of the topography, partially submerging the naves as they reach the vineyards. Here, a belvedere terrace offers reception and tasting areas with bucolic views over the vineyards. Natural lighting and views have been privileged throughout. The architectural concept is contemporary, bold and minimalistic but also in harmony with the scale of the site and in symbiosis with its context..

Vinification centre – creation of the Krug Champagne winery and champagne cellars
9,400 m²
Ambonnay
France
KRUG / MHCS

Images credit: AW² / Photography credit: Mikael Bénard

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