Green Fabric: An Urban Center for Virginia's Wine Culture

Abstract

While the state of Virginia has maintained its vinicultural heritage from the time of the Colonists, several factors have proven insurmountable obstacles until recent decades. The state now supports nearly 90 wineries, yet lacks any focus within the industry, and marketing rarely stems beyond the fields of production. This unique project will examine the bridging of a typically agricultural typology into the realm of an urban environment, thus encouraging the dynamism of the regional industry. By doing so the thesis presents opportunities for practices in ecological, social, and cultural sustainability. The structure will function not only as an educational facility in the vinicultural sense, but as a demonstration of sustainable design in an urban context, melding contemporary technology with a with a historic city fabric, thus dispelling the myth that "green" buildings need to stand alone as icons.