Case study: Design of an entry gate for a vineyard in Mexico.
I have designed projects and produced my hand-drawn renderings for clients ”long distance“ for many years. Some new clients have asked how we make this work, so I wanted to show the process of this beautiful design rendering and for a vineyard entry gate in Mexico.
1. Initial long-distance discussions with the clients
Alberto & Claudia Sarmiento contacted me with an exciting project in late 2020. They had purchased a ranch with a few existing structures outside of the Mexican city of Aguascalientes and were enthusiastic about their plans to develop the property into a vineyard. Other vintners had already developed neighboring properties into successful vineyards. They would be creating a place for patrons to visit the vineyard and sample wines, as they themselves had enjoyed doing on their travels, and for guests to use an event space.
In our discussions we agreed the priority project was a wall around the property with a beautiful and inviting entry gate.
In early discussions, the Sarmientos and I shared reference images and discussed the aesthetic we wanted over video conferences. The first image showed the property’s existing barbed wire fence, the second showed existing agaves they would like to relocate. They also sent me an image of a stone they liked. I responded with reference photos, proposing options. I found the last two black-and-white images in the book Patios and Gardens of Mexico by Patricia O’Gorman, photographed by Bob Schalkwijk.
Of course, there are many ways to communicate design ideas. Lately, clients and I are likely to share such images through a Pinterest board.
I also helped the Sarmientos with some pragmatic aspects of the design: the need for a call box with camera, remote control of the automated gate, etc.
2. Preliminary drawings.
After the Sarmientos responded to my really loose pencil sketches, I drew and emailed these tighter design options. In the end, we flipped the drawing orientation, because most drivers would approach from the left of the gate.
After approval of the last line art drawing above, I colored the piece, featured at the top of the article, finishing the hand-drawn rendering in about two weeks after our initial design discussions.
If you have proejct in mind, reach out to me with any questions!
