The Marqués de Riscal Hotel in Elciego, Spain is a redesign of a 150-year-old winery. This highly unusual work by architect Frank Gehry seeks to embody the vineyard in an abstract way.
The colors used are symbolic. Pink represents the wine itself, silver is found on the bottle’s neck, and gold is for the signature mesh around the bottles.
The compound features a 5-star hotel, spa, museum of viticulture, wine shop and Michelin star restaurant. Nearby is the Vivanco Museum, Europe’s largest wine museum.
Each of the 43 rooms and suites is unique in shape. They are housed in 2 wings connected by a suspended footbridge.
How can we understand Gehry’s work? Think of him as an “abstract architect” sort of like the painter, Jackson Pollock. Gehry’s buildings are called “deconstructivist” and while they may look haphazard, they are actually meticulously planned.
Consider the fact that building with straight lines is typical. Using organic shapes is more difficult.
To create his designs Gehry uses software called CATIA (Computer Aided Three Dimensional Interactive Application) commonly used to design automobiles and aircraft.
While not everyone likes a Pollock painting, not everyone likes a Gehry building. As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Explore another unusual work by Frank Gehry here or discover another crazy building here.
