Tomac Winery / Dva Arhitekta

Architects: Dva Arhitekta
Area: 679 m²
Year: 2022
Photographs: Sandro Lendler
Design Team: Dva Arhitekta
Town: Jastrebarsko
Country: Croatia

Tomac Winery, designed by Dva Arhitekta in Donja Reka, Croatia, reinterprets traditional rural architecture in the Plešivica wine region through a vertically structured design rooted in local agricultural heritage. Drawing inspiration from a 100-year-old stable and barn, the winery is organized into a reinforced concrete cellar, a brick-clad ground floor, a timber-framed attic, and a surrounding thatched roof. The L-shaped concrete basement supports the production zone, while the ground floor holds large wooden barrels. The attic, built for drying crops, echoes vernacular barn construction through laminated wood and solid timber elements. A rooftop garden for biodynamic plants completes the structure. Each material—concrete, brick, wood, and straw—is expressed honestly, intended to weather over time and connect with the evolving natural context. The project supports sustainability through material integrity, ecological integration, and biodiversity preservation.

Donja Reka is a settlement located on the outskirts of the town of Jastrebarsko, approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Zagreb, characterized primarily by rural properties. The Plešivica region is recognized for its small-scale farms, many of which include viticulture as part of their agricultural practices. This is a centuries-old tradition that continues to be preserved and passed down through generations. The approach to natural winemaking in the region involves a reliance on tradition, the preservation of ancestral values, and the use of time-honored yet modernized techniques informed by experiences from similar wine-producing areas.

During a visit to Donja Reka, the architects observed a farmyard featuring a wooden barn and a 100-year-old brick-walled stable. The insights gathered from that visit became a key source of inspiration and played a crucial role in shaping all major design decisions, including the architectural typology, the configuration and orientation of the building on the site, as well as the selection and treatment of materials.

The winery is both functionally and spatially organized along a vertical axis: the cellar is constructed from reinforced concrete, the ground floor features brick walls, the attic is built with a timber structure, and the roof is made of straw. The underground level follows an L-shaped layout and is entirely built from raw concrete. Large wooden barrels are placed within the ground floor, which is designed as a simple rectangular volume. While the reinforced concrete remains exposed on the interior, it is externally clad in brick, making the brickwork a defining element of the ground floor’s appearance. Above this volume, a timber structure forms the attic, intended primarily for drying agricultural crops. The laminated wood construction and the solid timber fencing evoke the character and spatial qualities of a traditional barn.

At the top of the winery, a roof garden has been incorporated, featuring planting beds for biodynamic crops and enclosed on all sides by a thatched roof. Each spatial component is defined and completed by its own structural material, without the addition of decorative or secondary finishes. The materials used are intended to develop over time, with their depth extending beyond the surface. These materials will naturally evolve, just as the wine produced within and the surrounding environment will continue to change. While sustainability in construction is often associated with energy efficiency, the architects aimed for the winery to contribute more broadly to sustainable development. Through its conceptual approach and material selection, the winery is embedded into the natural landscape and functions as part of the surrounding ecosystem, supporting and preserving local biodiversity.