The Italian architect Matteo Thun shared and supported the idea of the family Longen developing a project to expand and integrate existing production structure, in line with its holistic and sustainable approach to architecture. The complex was built in collaboration with the architect Stein-Hemmes-Wirtz for the management of the site and with landscape architect Johannes Cox for the project areas of the Verdi.
In an atmosphere of harmony and respect for nature, the 'Winery Longen cultivated for generations, with a long tradition, the slopes of the Mosel valley.
Surrounded by orchards, the vineyard now houses the accommodation owned by the Longen family. Covering an area of 6.500 m2, the new complex prepares for a lifestyle in harmony with nature: a sort of village built to fully enjoy the experience of wine and fruit processing and production.
Nestled among the fruit trees the new intervention reflects the philosophy of the family Longen. Guests live surrounded by fruit trees - lemons, walnuts, limes and chestnuts - inside small buildings in local stone, reminiscent of traditional wine cellars.
Each of the twenty small houses leads to a wooden terrace and a private garden. Hedges of raspberries surround the gardens where, on the terrace, you can enjoy the fruits of your harvest. Guests can also choose the characteristics and typology of the gardens which, starting from the jardin potager, with the classic cooking herbs, can take on different characteristics: shaded gardens, English style, with fruit trees, or perfumed by a rose garden. The design of the 20 square meters of the slate houses looks at the brightness of the space and the purity and simplicity of the forms. In the composition of the interiors, wood and shades of white abound, coupled with traditional fabrics and natural materials. The wooden floor connects the interior with the external terrace, creating a fluid and continuous space, separated only by a large glass door.
The project was awarded the "Architekturpreis Wein 2013", awarded by the Ministry for the Environment, Agriculture, Food, Viticulture and Forestry of the Land Rhineland-Palatinate, together with the German Winegrowers Association and the Chamber of Architects of the same Land.
