KPFF provided structural engineering services for this new 5,000-sf public tasting room and private events space for one of the founders of Oregon's wine-making industry. The new building provides a range of spaces for sampling the family's wines and viewing their 100-acre estate. In addition to a tasting room with wine bar and lounge, the building includes a kitchen and dining room, library, private events room, wine storage, and a sunken courtyard. Wide terraces span the indoor/outdoor façade.
Timber agricultural buildings, orderly grape vine rows, and lush forests characterize Oregon wine country and serve as inspiration for the Sokol Blosser tasting room. Douglas Fir forms the structure and Western Red Cedar clads all interior and exterior surfaces. The architect intended the building to appear as a monolithic wood block that has been carved away to accommodate public spaces. To this end, KPFF developed custom-built plywood box beams as a simple, cost-effective structural solution to create the large cantilever roof forms. These box beams also serve as finished interior ceilings and green roof supports.