ARCHITECTURE

When winemakers want to bring the design of their dream winery to fruition they know only a handful of architecture firms can execute their vision with exacting detail and refined elegance. At the top of that list are Tom Taylor and Maurice Lombardo, the ingenious principals behind the award-winning Bay Area architecture and design firm Taylor Lombardo Architects. The driving philosophy behind the exquisite work at Taylor Lombardo Architects is a very hands-on approach to design. While Tom Taylor acts as the “head and the heart” of the firm, leading the helm of each project team, Maurice Lombardo manages the business operations, marketing, and client relations. It is this left brain-right brain duality that has allowed TLA to strike a balance and to cultivate such a successful business. For nearly 30 years Tom, Maurice and their energetic staff have designed some of Northern California’s most recognized and impressive wineries including Silver Oak Cellars, Nickel & Nickel, Kenzo Estate, and Trefethen Family Vineyards.

The interior of Kelly Fleming Winery boasts high ceilings, open space, and a view of the rows of grapevines.

The splendor of Napa Valley serves as quite an inspiration for their winery projects that take place in Napa Valley. Each of TLA’s projects is situated to work harmoniously with its natural surroundings. The materials used respond to the landscape, and the forms, whether contemporary or traditional, respond gracefully to the surrounding topography and climate. Tom and Maurice work directly with every client to understand their lifestyle and their approach to winemaking.

“I would rather explore all the design possibilities that architecture offers rather than perfect a style. I learn from each project’s environment rather than shape it to meet our needs,” explains Taylor.

The idyllic Kelly Fleming Wines in Calistoga.

Venturing south, Taylor Lombardo Architects recently completed one of the most sustainable and ambitious wineries to join the growing Santa Barbara County wine scene: Presqu’ile Winery. Taylor, Lombardo and their team completed a modern winery and contemporary hospitality building atop the hills over Santa Maria. At the cornerstone of this green design is a subterranean wine cave connecting the 17,500 square foot winery to the hospitality building below. The hospitality building features a tasting room that opens to views of the surrounding hills and ocean. Understanding the clients vision of Presqu’ile as a destination winery, Taylor Lombardo, with the talented landscape design firm Arcadia Studios, created a space in which people can spend the entire day, enjoying the facilities, sipping wine, playing bocce ball and catching a concert in the small outdoor amphitheater.

“Today’s clients are sophisticated. Great projects start with developing a seamless relationship between the design team, the contractor and the client,” says Lombardo.

Nickel & Nickel winery in Oakville.

Also on the Presqu’ile site, Taylor Lombard designed a house for Winery Manager Matt Murphy and his family. Driving the design for the house was a desire to break down the boundary between indoors and out. TLA achieved this by designing numerous operable glass walls that seamlessly pocket away into nearby walls. The finishes are clean and simple, and a series of low-profile, low-slope roofs compliment the surrounding hills.

After more than three decades of success, Tom Taylor and Maurice Lombardo are busy as ever. Outside California, they have recently completed a 40,000 square foot wine center in China and are currently working on two projects in Michigan. Here in California, there are more than a dozen beautiful homes in the works at TLA and two exciting projects for Jackson Family Wines.

Taylor Lombardo Architects
529 Commercial Street, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA
www.taylorlombardo.com