THE VACUUM CHAMBER

The act of drinking wine is one of the most ancient traditions in the history of mankind. Its consumption has been accompanied by all kinds of festivities, misfortunes and civic-religious acts.

Even though it’s so deeply rooted in the culture of humanity, to this day there is no emblematic building that celebrates it as a rite of its own. The Vacuum Chamber represents a spatial possibility for its location, a kind of oasis in the semi-arid of La Rioja in which weary travelers can meet to drink together; a space that celebrates the mere act of being in the world and toast for that.

Using the metaphor that emptiness is the only place in which true essence resides, a very simple, pure and ornament free space is erected, capable of containing everything and nothing at the same time; a building that does not pretend to be anything other than a rural house or a shack.

Its orientation (North-South) allows us to frame the view of what has always been there, the landscape and the sky, allowing the spectator to complete the idea, in the creation of his own masterpiece of aesthetic sensory enjoyment; and from there, sit for a while to contemplate the traces of wind music to the shelter of a good glass of wine.