Mexican design studios Rojkind Arquitectos and AMASA Estudio have completed a striking wheel-shaped winery featuring radiating vaults in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico. The Vinícola Pictograma, finished in 2023, spans 1,963 square meters (21,130 square feet) across a 35-acre vineyard located on the northern end of the Baja California peninsula.
Both studios, headquartered in Mexico City, designed the earth-toned building to create a dialogue between contemporary architecture and the wine region's natural landscape. The architects deliberately built up earth around the structure to partially submerge it into the ground, minimizing its visual impact while maximizing its integration with the terrain. Visitors enter through a distinctive wedge-shaped opening on the north side of the circular structure, leading them into a central open-air courtyard.
"Designed with an acute sensitivity to its surroundings, the project seamlessly integrates into the rugged terrain, ensuring minimal environmental impact while enhancing the winemaking experience," the design team explained. The innovative layout features two concentric rows of bubbled vaults surrounding the central courtyard, housing the winery's production, storage, and hospitality spaces under burnt clay brick vaults.
Parabolic concrete arches form heavy pendulous portals that lead visitors through various spaces including tasting rooms, bottling areas, barrel storage, and back-of-house facilities. The eastern vault was deliberately removed to create an expansive open-air garden, while the overall layout maximizes operational efficiency and reduces circulation space. The design promotes natural cross-ventilation through an interior portico that draws inspiration from 16th-century architectural traditions.
"The winery is not just a production facility – it is an immersive architectural experience," the studio emphasized. "The layout orchestrates a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces, offering visitors a journey that moves from the intimate process of winemaking to expansive views of the vineyards." This carefully planned progression creates multiple experiential moments as guests move through the facility.
The material palette reflects the architects' commitment to environmental harmony, featuring local sand-colored concrete, weathered steel, red clay bricks, and timber selected specifically to age naturally and blend with the landscape over time. The textured exterior concrete was designed to catch and play with shadows, allowing the building's surface appearance to change throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky.
"Every material at Pictograma was chosen to echo the land – not to mimic it, but to be in conversation with it," the team noted. "The palette is restrained, but intentional – every surface, every joint, meant to age with dignity and tell the story of place over time." This philosophy extends beyond aesthetics to encompass the building's environmental performance.
Sustainability played a crucial role in the design process, with the building incorporating passive cooling strategies, thermal mass, and strategic orientation to reduce environmental impact. These features align with Valle de Guadalupe's broader push toward sustainable wine production practices. The partially submerged design helps regulate interior temperatures naturally, reducing energy consumption for climate control.
"Architecture is not just about buildings; it is about the hands that build them, the people who inhabit them, the lives they touch, and what they can give back to the community," said Michel Rojkind. "Our role as architects is to create environments that honor this interconnectedness, fostering inclusive, dynamic, and purpose-driven communities."
The project represents part of Rojkind Arquitectos' broader engagement with the Valle de Guadalupe region. In 2020, the studio unveiled conceptual designs for a nearby resort featuring 28 villas embedded in the hills and a curvilinear swimming pool. The firm has also gained recognition for other notable projects including a concrete concert hall overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in Boca de Rio.
The Pictograma winery project involved extensive collaboration between multiple specialists. The architectural team included Ruth Diaz and Eli Ambris from Rojkind Arquitectos, along with Roxana León and Omar Valdés from AMASA Estudio. Additional expertise came from Cadena y Asociados for branding and concept development, SMARQ for interior design, and various engineering consultants. Photography of the completed project was captured by Edmund Sumner, showcasing the building's integration with its dramatic vineyard setting.
