Pergola
A pergola is most commonly an outdoor
It also may be an extension of a building or serve as protection for an open
Depending on the context, the terms "pergola", "bower" and "arbor" are often used interchangeably. An "arbor" is also regarded as being a wooden bench seat with a roof, usually enclosed by lattice panels forming a framework for climbing plants; in
Modern pergola structures can also include architectural or engineering structures having a pergola design, which are not used in gardens.
Description
Features and types
Pergolas may link pavilions or extend from a building's door to an open garden feature such as an isolated terrace or pool. Freestanding pergolas, those not attached to a home or other structure, provide a sitting area that allows for breeze and light sun, but offer protection from the harsh glare of direct sunlight.
Pergolas also give climbing plants a structure on which to grow.[3]
In 1498, Leonardo da Vinci decorated the Sala delle Asse of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan to give the illusion of the great square and vaulted reception hall being within a pergola that was made up of the intertwined branches of sixteen huge mulberry trees.[4] The novel project was commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza.
Green tunnels
Pergolas are more permanent architectural features than the
At the Medici villa, La Petraia, inner and outer curving segments of such green walks, the forerunners of pergolas, give structure to the pattern that can be viewed from the long terrace above it.
History
Origin
The origin of the word is the
Historical gardens
The clearly artificial nature of the pergola made it fall from favor in the naturalistic gardening styles of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Yet handsome pergolas on brick and stone pillars with powerful cross-beams were a feature of the gardens designed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by Sir
Modern pergolas
Modern pergola design materials including wood, vinyl, fiberglass, aluminum, and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) rather than brick or stone pillars, are more affordable and are increasing in popularity. Wooden pergolas are made either from a weather-resistant wood, such as western red cedar (Thuja plicata) or, formerly, of coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). They are painted, stained, or use wood treated with preservatives for outdoor use. For a low maintenance alternative to wood, the contemporary materials of vinyl, fiberglass, aluminum, and CPVC can be used. These materials do not require yearly paint or stain like a wooden pergola would, and their manufacture can make them even stronger and longer-lasting than a wooden pergola. These contemporary material pergolas can also be motorized to open and close.
See also
- Breezeway
- Brise soleil
- Latticework
- Patio
- Trellis (architecture)
- Vine training systems
References
- ^ "Which Pergola Is Right for You?". Fox News. March 17, 2016. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
- ^ Marberry, Mark (May 2, 2019). "Brush arbor revivals are still around". Daily Journal Online.
- ^ "How To Build A Pergola" on Ron Hazelton's HouseCalls
- ^ Ruggiero, Rocky, Episode 142 – Leonardo da Vinci’s Sala delle Asse, Making Art and History Come to Life, Rebuilding the Renaissance, October 6, 2021
- sub verbo "pergola"; Dictionary.com"pergola"
- Diary and Correspondence of John Evelyn, F.R.S., 22 February 1645.
- ^ Diary and Correspondence of John Evelyn, F.R.S, 20 July 1654.
- ^ "Centennial Hall in Wrocław". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved April 22, 2021.