This project — an iconic winery in the Napa Valley designed by Backen & Backen — illustrates the power of lighting used as an essential element of the architecture, where the precision of the architecture is matched by precision in the lighting design.

Composed of a series of structures thoughtfully placed into the landscape, the experience at Promontory is a journey through the site. Lighting illuminates that journey, through low-level path lighting and subtle accent lighting, while framing long views and drawing the eye to the next destination.

The strategically-implemented lighting plan complements and supports the contemplative, almost monastic tone of the architecture, as well as the monochromatic, highly textural palette of building materials — defining architectural edges, accentuating openings, washing the finely-detailed board-formed concrete walls and adding detail to the monolithic scale of the exterior walls. In the barrel room, antique industrial fixtures adapted for hospitality use line the apex of the roofline, accented by subtle pools of light that wash the understory, drawing attention to the dramatic trusses. Directional mono points light each individual tank, and lead the eye to the framed view of the central courtyard just beyond the building’s oversized barn doors.