by James Ruben
EXTERIOR ARCHITECTURE AS AN ART FORM
Trellises have been a favorite landscape architectural
element throughout the ages. Some serve as partial walls,
screening off less desirable views, others to enframe a
view. All of which support flowering plant material, usually
varieties of vines. Trellises are formed into many shapes
and sizes, different configurations to serve various needs:
Overhead trellises create a 'landscape room' beneath
while an arched trellis may serve as a 'gateway' into the
garden itself. The focus of this article is upon the
architectural-building material from which the trellis is
constructed; it is not of wood, metal tubing or from
expensive wrought iron.
When I was touring northern Italy and Spain I was struck by
the timeless beauty of wrought-ironworks, fashioned out of
the architecture of the buildings and into the garden
trellises. It was not so much the ornate details that I found
so interesting as I found the strength and durability of the
material to be: it tested time, only growing more attractive.
Later, back in the U.S.A. and practicing my profession as a
Landscape Architect I found that wrought-iron was not
often affordable except in only the most selective of
projects (i.e. those with very, fat budgets).
I did design my share of wooden and hollow-tube trellises
over the years but I was always looking for a material that
would capture the essence of wrought-iron and at an
affordable price. That is when I began experimenting with
REBAR (reinforced iron for concrete building footings).
Rebar comes in a variety of diameters and surface
patterns, usually in 20 foot lengths. It is the 'poor cousin' of
construction-metals exclusively finding its' way into
concrete pours to reinforce the structural value of footings,
walls and
flat surfaces. I have not seen it utilized for much else.
There are quite a few good reasons why rebar works well
as a trellis building material. Personally, I like the way it
looks, it reminds me of Sahuaro Ribs and Ocotillo sticks
used in the Southwest. It also takes on the look of knotty
pine poles as well. Part of its attraction is that the knobby
surface catches the light in a play of shadows throughout
the day (and also in the nightime with directed, accent
lighting).
Rebar does not have to be treated or painted; it looks best
in its natural state of surface rust. It can, however, stain tile
or fabric beneath it. In a rainy climate it is a good idea to
spray a mat-sealer over those areas that may drip. Most
landscape surfaces, however, are durable enough to
handle these occasional drips. On one occasion we had
the rebar elements, powder-coated with bright colors to go
with the festive character of the project (powder coating is
baked-on paint, like on a automobile). I do not recommend
this treatment because of its expense but it does have its
uses.
Although rebar does not sculpt well as wrought iron will, it
can be bent within certain limits. In fact, the bending of the
rebar can be best taken care of at the rebar yard itself,
(look under rebar suppliers in the yellow pages). They
receive
specifications from building contractors for all sorts or
shapes and configurations to accommodate their building
footings etc. They usually raise an eyebrow to such
requests eg. rebar stock bent for a trellis, but more often
than not they get into the spirit of the project and
appreciate the change of pace.
I once designed and built a rebar trellis that we named
"Double-Helix", a vine trellis; the curve linear shapes of the
trellis's roof-line created a shadow of a double helix on the
ground. You also saw the double helix form when walking
by the trellis. Naturally, you can build a rebar trellis out of
straight pieces of rod as well and eliminate the bending. A
really nice look is to use different diameter rebar sticks and
place them alongside one another in a descending
pattern. They can also be cut to different lengths and also
be placed in a descending pattern. It is really up to your
imagination or that of your designer and landscape
contractor.
Some of the 'straight-rod' rebar trellises that we have
designed and built were topped with another interesting
material i.e. sheets of reinforced, metal used to reinforce
concrete driveways. These sheets generally come in 7 foot
widths and vary in lengths, of about 10 feet. Their box
pattern is usually in 4 inch squares; this allows for plenty of
air flow and a chance for the vines to trail throughout the
webbing.
Lastly, anchoring a rebar trellis to the ground is quite
simple. Basically all you need to do is to dig a 2 foot or
better deep hole, set the rebar leg into it and pour your
concrete mixture around it. You can also integrate all or
part of the trellis's legs into a patio wall, if the overall
architectural design of the house and garden will benefit
from this application.
EXTERIOR ARCHITECTURE AS AN ART FORM
Trellises have been a favorite landscape architectural
element throughout the ages. Some serve as partial walls,
screening off less desirable views, others to enframe a
view. All of which support flowering plant material, usually
varieties of vines. Trellises are formed into many shapes
and sizes, different configurations to serve various needs:
Overhead trellises create a 'landscape room' beneath
while an arched trellis may serve as a 'gateway' into the
garden itself. The focus of this article is upon the
architectural-building material from which the trellis is
constructed; it is not of wood, metal tubing or from
expensive wrought iron.
When I was touring northern Italy and Spain I was struck by
the timeless beauty of wrought-ironworks, fashioned out of
the architecture of the buildings and into the garden
trellises. It was not so much the ornate details that I found
so interesting as I found the strength and durability of the
material to be: it tested time, only growing more attractive.
Later, back in the U.S.A. and practicing my profession as a
Landscape Architect I found that wrought-iron was not
often affordable except in only the most selective of
projects (i.e. those with very, fat budgets).
I did design my share of wooden and hollow-tube trellises
over the years but I was always looking for a material that
would capture the essence of wrought-iron and at an
affordable price. That is when I began experimenting with
REBAR (reinforced iron for concrete building footings).
Rebar comes in a variety of diameters and surface
patterns, usually in 20 foot lengths. It is the 'poor cousin' of
construction-metals exclusively finding its' way into
concrete pours to reinforce the structural value of footings,
walls and
flat surfaces. I have not seen it utilized for much else.
There are quite a few good reasons why rebar works well
as a trellis building material. Personally, I like the way it
looks, it reminds me of Sahuaro Ribs and Ocotillo sticks
used in the Southwest. It also takes on the look of knotty
pine poles as well. Part of its attraction is that the knobby
surface catches the light in a play of shadows throughout
the day (and also in the nightime with directed, accent
lighting).
Rebar does not have to be treated or painted; it looks best
in its natural state of surface rust. It can, however, stain tile
or fabric beneath it. In a rainy climate it is a good idea to
spray a mat-sealer over those areas that may drip. Most
landscape surfaces, however, are durable enough to
handle these occasional drips. On one occasion we had
the rebar elements, powder-coated with bright colors to go
with the festive character of the project (powder coating is
baked-on paint, like on a automobile). I do not recommend
this treatment because of its expense but it does have its
uses.
Although rebar does not sculpt well as wrought iron will, it
can be bent within certain limits. In fact, the bending of the
rebar can be best taken care of at the rebar yard itself,
(look under rebar suppliers in the yellow pages). They
receive
specifications from building contractors for all sorts or
shapes and configurations to accommodate their building
footings etc. They usually raise an eyebrow to such
requests eg. rebar stock bent for a trellis, but more often
than not they get into the spirit of the project and
appreciate the change of pace.
I once designed and built a rebar trellis that we named
"Double-Helix", a vine trellis; the curve linear shapes of the
trellis's roof-line created a shadow of a double helix on the
ground. You also saw the double helix form when walking
by the trellis. Naturally, you can build a rebar trellis out of
straight pieces of rod as well and eliminate the bending. A
really nice look is to use different diameter rebar sticks and
place them alongside one another in a descending
pattern. They can also be cut to different lengths and also
be placed in a descending pattern. It is really up to your
imagination or that of your designer and landscape
contractor.
Some of the 'straight-rod' rebar trellises that we have
designed and built were topped with another interesting
material i.e. sheets of reinforced, metal used to reinforce
concrete driveways. These sheets generally come in 7 foot
widths and vary in lengths, of about 10 feet. Their box
pattern is usually in 4 inch squares; this allows for plenty of
air flow and a chance for the vines to trail throughout the
webbing.
Lastly, anchoring a rebar trellis to the ground is quite
simple. Basically all you need to do is to dig a 2 foot or
better deep hole, set the rebar leg into it and pour your
concrete mixture around it. You can also integrate all or
part of the trellis's legs into a patio wall, if the overall
architectural design of the house and garden will benefit
from this application.
