The intersection of architecture, agriculture, and hospitality is a delicate space, requiring designers to balance human experience with deep respect for the natural world. The Valli Wine Tasting Room competition invites architects and designers to explore this very intersection by proposing a contemporary wine tasting space for Valli Unite, a pioneering agricultural cooperative nestled in the rural hills of Piedmont, northern Italy.
PRIZE FUND: 10,000 €
1ST PLACE: 5,000 €
2ND PLACE: 2,500 €
3RD PLACE: 1,000 €
Student Award: 1,000 €
Sustainability Award: 500 €
DATE:
Closing date for registration: 14 January 2027
Competition Q&A deadline: 19 January 2027
Closing date submission: 15 February 2027 - 23:59 (London Time)
Announcement of the winners: 30 March 2027
PARTICIPANT: Everyone (No professional qualifications required)
COST:
Early Bird (25 May - 30 Jul); 110 € (Students: 90€)
Last Minute (09 Oct - 14 Jan): 140 € (Students: 120€)
This competition is not just about creating a functional space; it is an exploration of how a modest, carefully integrated architectural intervention can strengthen the relationship between natural wine culture, sustainability, and the breathtaking Italian landscape.
The Setting: A Landscape Rooted in Tradition
Located near the small village of Costa Vescovato in the renowned Colli Tortonesi wine region, the project site is a testament to Italy's rich agricultural heritage. Surrounded by rolling valleys, cultivated fields, dense forests, and sprawling vineyards, the region is internationally celebrated for its natural and organic wine production—most notably, the revival of the native Timorasso grape variety.
The quiet, deeply rural character of this landscape serves as the foundational canvas for the competition. Any architectural addition must respect and elevate this natural beauty rather than overpower it.
About Valli Unite
To design for Valli Unite is to understand its profound history and ethos:
A Collective Vision: Founded in the early 1980s as a collective response to rural abandonment, the cooperative has grown into a thriving community-oriented agricultural and cultural landmark.
Pioneers of Organic Farming: Valli Unite is one of Italy’s earliest agricultural cooperatives dedicated to organic farming and natural wine production.
More Than Just Wine: Today, the cooperative manages vineyards, farmland, agritourism facilities, and communal spaces, fiercely promoting the values of collective work, environmental responsibility, and an intimate connection to the land.
The Design Challenge
Participants are tasked with designing a small-scale tasting room extension that connects seamlessly to the cooperative's existing wine storage facility. The design must be highly sensitive to its surroundings and align with Valli Unite’s philosophy of simplicity and environmental stewardship.
Key Objectives for Participants
Architectural Modesty: Propose an intervention that is contemporary yet humble, ensuring the building harmonizes with the surrounding hills and vineyards.
Sustainable Integration: Embody the principles of organic farming through environmentally responsible design, utilizing sustainable materials and eco-friendly building practices.
The Visitor Experience: Craft an intimate atmosphere that allows visitors to engage meaningfully with the culture, taste, and process of natural wine production.
Honouring Collective Rural Life: Reflect the cooperative's foundational values of community, simplicity, and shared agricultural life within the spatial design.
A Toast to Sustainable Architecture
The Valli Wine Tasting Room competition is a unique opportunity for visionary architects and designers to leave a mark on one of Italy's most culturally rich agricultural cooperatives. By blending architecture, atmosphere, and sustainability, participants are challenged to create more than just a tasting room—they are asked to design an experience that celebrates the profound connection between the earth, the community, and the wine they produce together.
Weaving architecture into the landscape: A competition to design a sanctuary for connection, community, and the craft of natural wine at Valli Unite.
