By Olivia Bell Buehl

The log shop/office and steel silo are joined by a glass and steel connector. A narrow UV glass window on the silo is shaded with perforated steel screens to keep the wine from overheating. In time, the oxidized exterior will weather to blend into the natural surroundings. The oxidized steel shell arrived on the site in quadrants and was quickly hoisted into place. The conical “hat” that sits over the viewing platform features an oculus open to the sky. The silo’s recycled fir floor is constructed of pie-shaped wedges; a blackened steel center alludes to the oculus at the top of the silo. Steel rods form the wine racks that hold up to 2,000 bottles. Architects Eric Logan, AIA, and Jeff Lawrence, Carney Architects, Jackson, WY, www.carneyarchitects.com Structural engineer Greg Kingsley, KL&A of Colorado, Golden, CO Mechanical engineer Mike Cook, CN Engineers, Jackson, WY Interior millwork Spearhead Timberworks, Vancouver, Canada Lighting designer Dave Nelson, Dave Nelson Associates, Boulder, CO Steel fabricators Wedco, Jackson, WY General contractor Bontecou Construction, Jackson, WY

Its metal exterior inspired by agrarian structures, its wood lining suggesting a wine cask, this wine silo sits on a 150-acre property in Wyoming’s Teton County. The lodge-style main house and four outbuildings are built over crawl spaces—thanks to the nearby Snake River’s floodplain—so owner Ray Thurston knew a traditional wine cellar was out of the question. Instead, he conceived of a stone silo to store his collection. Excited by the idea of this sculptural form, architect Eric Logan, AIA, of Carney Architects in Jackson Hole—who had designed the rest of the complex—suggested a different material. “Executing in steel would be more streamlined,” he notes, “and more fitting for a ranch.”

The next decision was where to put the structure. The main house blends logs, stone, and reclaimed siding—materials that resurface in an outbuilding that Thurston calls his “más macho” shop/office. Abetted by blackened steel structural connections and detailing and outfitted with pool table and bar, the space is often used for entertaining. “Because of the function of wine tasting, the silo seemed to magnetize itself to the shop,” says Logan. The uber-silo features complementary materials. Reclaimed fir sheathes walls, floor, and ceiling and forms the treads, which rest on the cantilevered blackened steel brackets of the spiral staircase. A glass connector, screened on the south side with bands of steel, joins silo to shop.

The design of the staircase was integral to the success of the project. “The tricky part was to make it reasonably transparent so it didn’t fight with the wine display,” explains Logan. The solution was to craft the stair enclosure, which is topped with a steel handrail, of half-inch tempered curved glass. Formed in eight segments, its sparkle reflects the wine bottles, aided by computer-operated lights that can cycle through 16.7 million continuous variable color ranges.

To blend the desired look inside and out with temperature control for the wine, the walls comprise three layers. Behind a cask-like interior of foot-wide weathered planks recycled from an old warehouse is a frame of foam panels stacked in a circle and filled with rebar and concrete to form an insulating and structural component. The oxidized steel skin, made of plates welded to a steel frame, completes the foot-thick walls, leaving an interior diameter of 12 1/2 feet.

Serendipity intervened when it came to the silo’s open-to-the elements viewing platform. The 3/8-inch-thick steel plates could not be rolled into perfect triangles to construct the conical roof Logan had planned. “We didn’t intend to leave the top open, but the steel guys informed us we could not close it. The result is more like a straw hat than a helmet, and produces a beautiful oculus of sunlight on the floor.”

“We have an unobstructed view of the Tetons from the silo,” marvels the proud homeowner. As guests sip a glass of champagne or share an informal meal, they can watch osprey and heron fishing in the creek and elk grazing, unaware of the humans in their aerie. In this space, the celebration of good wine, good architecture, and nature’s glory become one.