Steel Buildings in the Vineyard
This open-wall storage building at Pegasus Vineyards is a good example of how the wine industry is utilizing metal buildings.
The Okanagan is famous for its vineyards. Known as the Napa of the North, you’ll find wineries dotting the landscape from Osoyoos all the way up to our hometown of Kelowna. In recent years, we’ve been working with an increasing number of winery owners who want metal buildings for an array of needs.
Today’s vineyards require a fair amount of infrastructure to grow, harvest, process and market their wines. In a luxury market, buildings need to strike a balance between aesthetic appeal and functionality. Due to their versatility, pre-engineered steel buildings can be used for different purposes, such as:
- Processing facilities
- Tasting rooms and retail space
- Equipment storage
- Offices
- Storage and distribution centres
For example, we worked with Pegasus Vineyards in Naramata to construct a 3,600-square foot custom roof system. This open-wall structure fits in with the existing buildings and is ideal for year-round storage.
In Okanagan Falls, we teamed up with Stag’s Hollow Winery to erect a 6,000-square foot building to provide office space and a wine shop. In addition to geothermal heating and cooling, this facility is extremely well insulated, making it a pleasant work environment in all seasons.
Harvest Season Is Upon Us
The grape harvest is just getting underway in the Okanagan, and it typically lasts until October. While it might be a little late to build metal buildings in time for this year’s harvest, giving yourself extra time to think through your design will ensure the finished product is exactly what you envisioned.
Furthermore, MSC works year-round, even in the cold of winter. From a vineyard owner’s perspective, this could be ideal for a number of reasons:
- Slower time of year for wineries and construction
- Less disruption to operations
- Less disruption to visitors
Depending on the complexity of your design, it can take anywhere from several weeks to several months to finalize buildings plans for pre-engineered steel buildings. Once the building kit is delivered to the job site, it typically takes anywhere from four to six weeks to erect an average sized building. This is considerably faster than structural steel, wood-frame and other conventional building methods.
For more on this, read: Planning Pre-engineered Steel Buildings for a Winter Build.
More than Just Metal
Wine is a luxury item that attracts sophisticated consumers. To reach this upscale market, wineries go to great lengths to ensure their tasting rooms and other buildings meet a high design standard.
A pre-engineered building can easily help achieve the look you’re going for. While the internal structure is made of a metal, the exterior cladding can be just about anything you want, including:
- Wood
- Stucco
- Masonry
- Glass
For metal buildings that provide a balance between aesthetics and function, call Metal Structure Concepts. Our design team will work with you to ensure the finished product meets your expectations.