John Muir described the Central Valley as ‘one smooth, flowery, lake-like bed of fertile soil,’ an agricultural paradise. Ernest and Julio Gallo stewarded the same land beginning eight decades ago. Today, E. & J. Gallo Winery is the largest family-owned winery in the world and still embraces its agrarian tradition and values, selling its products in more than ninety countries around the world. The designers sought to create a building that was one with the landscape and complemented Gallo’s 360-acre grounds and heritage. The Dry Creek Building’s height and massing match the dozens of mature Cork Oaks and Stone Pines planted by the company’s co-founders. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring the inside out with near-panoramic views of the landscape.

The designers chose an exposed, white, cast-in-place concrete structure with polished white precast concrete cladding for its simple beauty and as a pragmatic and elegant solution to multiple requirements. Concrete has been used in hot climates for thousands of years for its thermal properties and epitomizes California modernist architecture. The building’s purpose was to support change, innovation and flexibility. The building, too, must quickly adapt and transform. All work areas sit on raised floors that deliver air, data, and power connections as well as support demountable walls that can be reconfigured in days without waste.

The skylight and light diffusing louvers at the North Atrium deliver bright but ambient light to the four surrounding work areas on two floors. The expansive skylight over the South Atrium, or “Main Street,” casts a dramatic light, illuminating the building and campus’ hub, where benches, work couches, and tables invite visitors and all of Gallo’s employees inside. Adjacent conference rooms open to one another and Main Street. The South Atrium also provides east-west campus passage, its grey limestone flooring flowing from outside to inside and outside again.

Photography: Nic Lehoux