Sapphire Creek Winery and Gardens is a multi-use facility that houses banquets/conferences as well walk-in guests for a full service restaurant and bar throughout the week. The site is also a feature for the owner’s landscape design company. Our primary design challenge for this project was to create a reprieve on the site of the owner’s 20 year established landscape design company. Additionally, the arrival to the site and approach to the building had to be celebratory because guests have to drive through and industrial park to find the property. The visual identity from the road is that only of a weathered sign which doubles as the threshold to the approach. Once the guest enters the 10 acre site a meandering drive immediately establishes a sense of place apart from its surroundings. The drive crosses a stream and climbs up to an elbow turn to the first glimpse of the building. The heavily wooded site was essential to maintain and the adjacency to the stream was a primary driver for the building placement. The topographic variation on the site allowed for the lower level to access the stream side of the building while the entire main floor has either a physical or visual connection to its natural surroundings.