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ing from unwanted moisture and darkness."
The firm's intelligent solution resulted in
a sophisticated, environmentally attuned
space of 1,450 square feet with a contem-
porary look and a residential feel, with
room for storing the clients' substantial
wine collection of 4,000 bottles and the
flexibility to add more. Given Clayton
Korte's mandate to further transform the
space not just for storage but also for
entertaining, they tapped their vast under-
standing of hospitality design and created
a dual-purpose concept. "By making it a
mini 'destination,' away from the ranch
house compound," Korte explains, "the
cave gave [the client] a venue to entertain
family and invited guests, as well as busi-
ness associates within a short stroll from
ranch headquarters."
and Nicole Corwin. "We strive to make site
specific, architectural interventions that
become so much a part of the landscape
that it is hard to imagine them not being
there. The unique challenges of building in
a cave demand this type of sensitivity."
These logistical challenges—to safely and
beautifully design a wine cellar and lounge
within the established constraints of an
existing excavation most primary—proved
an opportunity for Clayton Korte to lever-
age "resilience for longevity," as Korte, the
architect, puts it. The response, therefore,
took two major forms: The first was to insert
a human scaled and more delicate wooden
module into the volume of the excavation,
ship-in-a-bottle style, to avoid physical inter-
action with the cave wall; and the second
was "to provide a bulkhead that effectively
restrained the loose limestone at the cave
mouth and provide a predictable surface
to wed the wooden insert." By carefully
manipulating the solids and voids of a
"wooden-box" insert, explains Korte, "the
cave could be concealed and revealed to
the occupant, leveraging the good qualities
of subterranean construction while protect-
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