An Old Defence Bunker Finds New Life as A Wine Museum Cave

A curved underground tunnel with stone walls and an arched ceiling, illuminated by soft lighting along the floor.

The Yue Garden Wine Bunker and Museum is a project defined by the reuse of a military bunker, the use of reclaimed stone, and the implementation of a refined design aesthetic that sculpts the spaces beneath the surface.

In 1969, a 3,000 square meter bunker was constructed in Wuhu, China, beneath the historic 1887 British Consulate. At the time of Wuhu's founding as a trading Port in 1876, rice had been the primary commodity. Today, it is wine. The Yu Garden Private Cellar is divided into two regions below ground. The first region is focused on Wine Culture Education and Tasting experiences, while the second region is capable of housing over two hundred thousand bottles.

A long, arched, tunnel-like structure with a metal grid ceiling and wall panels, illuminated by small lights on the floor, with bottles placed on shelves along the sides.
A view through an arched window showing a rocky, uneven cave wall illuminated by a light source, surrounded by a metal grid.
A large, rough, dark stone displayed on the ground inside a dimly lit, enclosed space with metal mesh walls and an arched ceiling, illuminated by small ground lights.

The blasting for the expansion of the existing bunker exposed a beautiful granite rock beyond the other side of the cemented bunker walls. We asked the client to keep the granite exposed and not pour more concrete, but regulatory challenges required that the bunker be completed entirely in concrete. After continuous conversations with the client, structural engineers, and officials, we eventually opened portions of the walls to the exposed granite. Additionally, we use the quarried rock from the site as our primary construction material and motif. Recycling the quarried rock from the site accounted for 75% of the material in the project. As a result, the recycled stone is both an aesthetic choice and connects directly to our concept "from terroir to table." Other elements, such as recycled rebar and removed trees, were all elements we reclaimed for the project.

Floor plan of Gallery C at Wuhu with rooms, corridors, and surrounding areas labeled.
A modern wine cellar with arched ceiling, wooden wine racks filled with bottles on both sides, a central table with a wine bottle and glass, and decorative lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
Interior of a museum display tunnel with various artifacts and artwork, including framed pictures, sculptures, and historical machinery, illuminated with spotlights.
Interior of a wine cellar with two large, round, wooden wine storage tanks; one contains empty space with a mirror-like surface, the other holds shelves of wine bottles with backlit lighting.
View through a circular tunnel with wooden walls, a water feature on each side, and a circular opening at the end leading to a room with a table and chairs.
Sketch of an underground tunnel with a person standing nearby, showing layers of rock and gravel, and a curved arch labeled 'GABION' supported by a structure, with a rock face on the right side.
Master floor plan of Wuhu Gallery B, showing building layout with corridors, rooms, and a courtyard, scaled at 1:200.
A cellar or wine storage room with a large circular metal frame opening, walls made of stacked rocks, and metal racks filled with wine bottles. There is a long wooden table and chairs in the center.
A dimly lit lounge area with black leather chairs, small tables with candles, and a unique arched ceiling with metallic and wooden accents. Barrel-shaped details are visible in the background.
A dark corridor with stacked wooden crates with geometric lattice windows, light filtering through the windows creating patterns on the walls and floor.
A tunnel with rocky, brown walls and a dirt floor, illuminated by bright lights. A person is walking away from the camera inside the tunnel.
A person walking through a tunnel lined with barrels on the left and a rock wall with an arched opening on the right. The tunnel has a curved ceiling and is illuminated from below, casting light on the walkway.

The wine culture aspect of the project aims to emulate the journey of fine wine, from planting, harvesting, aging, and tasting. We named this process "from terroir to table." The journey begins with an immersive digital experience describing the history and agricultural background of the wine-making process, followed by the museum's antique gallery showcasing a variety of old wine elements from the vineyard harvest.

Terroir, translated as "a sense of place," means the characteristics of a local environment interact with the plant genetics to give a regional distinction to the wine. Just as the land from which the grapes are grown imparts a unique quality, the design of the Yu Geng Shan Cellars brings a terroir of experiences to visitors, adding another dimension to the wine tasting experience.

AWARDS

SURFACE, DESIGN AWARDS - 2016 Winner, Best Sustainable Surface, Yue Garden Bunker, Surface Design Show, London

INTERIOR DESIGN MAGAZINE BEST OF THE YEAR AWARDS - 2015 Winner, Best Cultural Space and Museum, Yue Garden Bunker, Best Interior Design Magazine, New York City

IIDA, BEST OF ASIA AWARD - 2015 Winner,  Best Bar and Lounge, Yue Garden Bunker, International Interior Design Association, Hong Kong

BLUEPRINT, DESIGN AWARDS - 2015 - Top 3 Finalist, Best Small Project, Yue Garden Bunker, Blueprint Magazine, London

FX MAGAZINE, INTERIOR DESIGN AWARDS - 2015 Winner, Best Cultural Space and Museum, Yue Garden Bunker, FX Magazine, London

TEAM

Kyle MertensMeyer - Design Principle

Mathew Sheilds - Designer

Danielle Gharst - Designer

Yin Li Xue, Godolphin - Client

Rob Cleary - Photography

This project's commercial wine storage sector is a 1000 square meter Members Only Cellar containing 1000 custom-designed private wine lockers for individual members or corporate clients. In addition to the individual wine lockers, this region of the bunker includes our client's private cellar, nicknamed the "Chalice Cellar," resides. The two hundred square-meter Chalice Cellar is a single space designed to create an explorative experience for visitors while holding more than twenty thousand bottles of wine. As visitors walk toward the narrow entrance, their view is blocked by a looming structure. Upon approaching it, it curves away to reveal the expansive space inside the cellar. The curves of the looming steel wine racks broaden and narrow. As the shapes move, the forms in the wine cave curate views of the space and emulate the fluidity and appeal of wine culture. The large curvatures invite guests to maneuver and explore physically and reveal a new vantage point at each movement. Pockets of hidden space behind the steel shelves provide additional space for mass storage, allowing for adequate storage while also maintaining the functionality of the space. At the rear of the Chalice Cellar, a staircase leads upward to the central sculpture. Inspired by a chalice (a large cup or goblet, typically used for drinking wine), the center sculpture provides visitors with a higher vantage point, overlooking the spaces and curvatures of the cellar. To this day, many visiting dignitaries from around the world have visited this cellar and had their pictures taken in the chalice.

Modern wine cellar with circular racks on sides and a central cone-shaped wooden wine rack, lit by subtle lighting.

Watch the film to learn more about the construction and spacial experience.