How can the design of wineries support wellbeing? A study of wineries in Waipara, Aotearoa New Zealand : A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Landscape Architecture at Lincoln University

Abstract

Wine and food share important connections to the landscape, and these connections are increasingly being recognised as important to wellbeing. Farmers’ markets and locally focused food menus, alongside the heightened awareness of the value of being in landscape settings, exemplify the significance of opportunities to enjoy the fruits of the earth within the landscape that produced them. However, while there is an established understanding of the connections between nature and wellbeing, and a growing number of studies of gastronomical aspects of the food-landscape relationship, there is little research on how wineries might also offer wellbeing benefits. Locating and identifying patterns of how wineries are designed can offer insight into the place-specific experiences that are encouraged within wineries, the activities provided and how future wineries may be designed to support wellbeing. The goal of this research is to determine how wineries as places - including their location, design, and activities - support wellbeing. A two-phase process was used to identify potential winery cases across Aotearoa New Zealand, followed by a detailed selection based on their landscape, spatial settings, and location. Then from the samples identified, wineries with similar activities were selected and compared based on their landscape and spatial settings. Using a Mash-Up approach, categories and qualities were extracted from parallel studies of institutions known to support wellbeing such as hospitals, schools, and universities. The categories of Vegetation and Nature; Social; Environmental Control; Inclusivity; Spatial; and Multi-Sensory were identified from the parallel studies. Two additional categories were identified at the case study sites, they are: Animals and Time. Field work involved on-site inventorying at the four sites, using the categories derived from the parallel studies. Lastly, a normative critique of the case study sites was conducted that identified a wide range of landscape elements that echo those from the parallel studies, and indicate that wineries - like schools, hospitals, and universities - have a role to play in supporting wellbeing. This research identifies valuable insights into how wineries offer restorative environments and this in turn can inform other settings, such as those from the parallel studies.