Among the vineyards of Nemea in the Peloponnese, Greece, 314 Architecture Studio designs a winery that takes the form of a circular structure partially embedded within the terrain, titled Metamorphosis. The project, whose planted roof extends to the surrounding vineyards on its surface, reads from afar almost like a geological formation. Take a closer look at this incredible project existing in pure Greek nature.
314 Architecture Studio’s Winery Emerges From the Vineyards and Nature
The concept unfolds through a speculative narrative in which the winery resembles a flying saucer that once landed among the vineyards thousands of years ago. Over time, the alien object was not rejected by nature but slowly absorbed by it. Vegetation spread across its surface, and soil wrapped itself around its edges, transforming what was once foreign into something that now feels inseparable from the terrain.
Its smooth circular geometry evokes a futuristic machine, yet the vegetation spreading across its surface allows it to read as something ancient, almost ruin-like. In this sense, the narrative of Metamorphosis echoes the allegorical transformation found in Franz Kafka’s homonymous novella. The building is imagined in a continuous state of change, shifting from a speculative artifact of the future into something that feels archaeological.
Metamorphosis – A Vessel Shaped by Time in Peloponnese, Greece
A thin linear incision that cuts through the vineyard fields allows access to the winery. From a distance, the entrance appears as a subtle fracture in the earth, but as visitors approach, it becomes a descending passage leading beneath the planted roof of the circular structure. The spatial sequence recalls the experience of Mycenaean tholos tombs scattered across the Peloponnese, where movement from light into shadow creates a gradual transition from the open landscape to an enclosed interior.
Through this gesture, the project places itself between two temporal readings. Its smooth circular geometry evokes a futuristic machine, yet the vegetation spreading across its surface gives it the presence of an ancient ruin. The building exists in a state of transformation, suggesting an object that may have arrived from the future but is perceived as something long buried in the past.
For the Athens-based team at 314 Architecture Studio, Metamorphosis reflects the same processes that define winemaking itself. Just as grapes slowly transform into wine through fermentation and aging, the architecture becomes a vessel shaped by earth, vegetation, light, and air.
The Conceptual Narrative of the Project
The project’s spatial narrative seeks to tap into a deep well of memory, positioning itself as a ruin of the future. The building is not built on the site; instead, it slowly reveals its form from it, as if buried for thousands of years and waiting to return to the surface. This sense of archaeological inevitability is achieved by integrating the structure into the topography, with the soil wrapping itself around the building’s curves.
With a planted roof that ensures the building blends perfectly into the landscape, the winery's architecture is informed by the surrounding vineyards. This camouflage represents an engagement with the concept of the Anthropocene, where the distinction between man-made structures and the natural world is becoming increasingly blurred. The dirt encircles the structure's edges, seeming hugged by nature, and the flora covers its surface.
Photos: @314architecturestudio.
