Wine Storage Facility

Carmody- McKnight owners Gary and Marian Conway and winemaker Gregg Cropper looked to strawbale construction when they wanted to build a storage facility at their Springhill Vineyards location in northern San Luis Obispo County. They needed to be able to store wines in a constant 65-degree range even though winter temperatures could drop into the teens and summer temperatures could exceed 100 degrees.

The two-foot thick straw bale walls were just what they needed. The exterior walls were stuccoed with a light colored smooth Mission Style finish while the interior walls were plastered in a similar style. The mass of the lime cement plaster and the insulation of the straw bales, along with the automated night cooling system, helped us achieve the goal of maintaining stable indoor air temperatures. We utilized structural off-the-shelf airplane hanger components as the post and beam system as well as using exposed steel trusses for the roof framing.