Located on a dairy farm and originally conceived as a boutique for the sale of artisanal cheeses, the client embraced warmly the architects’ proposal to provide visitors and clients with a view of and interaction with the entire cheese-production process. The facility is arranged around an elliptical-shaped open courtyard with glass façades that permit views into the production, laboratory, cold room, and storage areas, and the sequence begins with a cheese-tasting and sales area on one end; staff entrances and changing rooms are located on the other. The structure is Corten steel and concrete, exposed in some places and clad with local stone in others, reflecting the architects’ aspiration to attain contemporary and traditional expressions simultaneously.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture