pergola
Posted by and Last Modified: November 28, 2011 at 8:51 pm

My most recent process work for a pergola design. Due to the nature of the project this was fun and easy to translate into a Sketchup model. Through the excercise I now have a much better understanding of connection, scale, context and the solar constraints I am working with. I am very happy with the transformations this project has made and I feel I am headed in a great direction. I am excited to hear your feedback!

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pergola, 8.9 out of 10 based on 36 ratings

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  • Minh Huynh

    I love the design. It fits as a nature screen and gives people a feeling of relaxation. Nice work

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  • http://thedesignatedsketcher.com/members/danielkaye/ Daniel Kaye

    The design is quite simple and not super exciting on its own, but I feel like it can do so much to a space when applied in the ways you are showing. It is interesting that the sketch portion is only 3 small moment or detail views. The entire design is never really sketch or shown, but I think that’s good here. It’s like you had an idea to develop a pergola system, and you figured out what the members would look like, how they would be spaced, supported, and laid out, and then model an idea that followed this pergola system to create a new space in the given contexts.

    I also think that you are under-using this system. Your few examples seem to show the same square plan covering similar areas. What if you used the same rules, but defined an outdoor restaurant seating area that was only only 6′ wide between the building and sidewalk, but 30′ long? Multiple levels of these pergolas could create nested or overlapping spaces with a sense of scale or hierarchy.

    I think you’ve created a simple, not too original idea, that works, and can do a lot if examined even farther. Even though the contest is 2d -> 3d, don’t be afraid to examine this idea backwards. Instead of just sketching the details of the system, try exploring the contextual applications you depicted with that pencil, see where it takes you.

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  • http://thedesignatedsketcher.com/members/designated-sketcher-2-2-2-2-2/ designated sketcher

    If I were playing word association with this board, the first two words that come to mind are; elegance and coherent.
    For starters, the concept shows a clear path from initial sketch, through investigation, and then finally into the solution. Along the way it also ends up being a well thought out and very real design. You have shown an understanding of materials, structural spans, connections, and a high level of design has been able to permeate all of them.
    In addition the final solution, I am especially drawn to the sketch where you introduce the kerf to the beam end. It shows me how you were approaching a design feature and as you worked it out, it became an integral piece to the overall design. Great work and I am pleased to read that this exercise helped you to gain an understanding on some very important design issues (scale, connection, context, solar orientation).

    A few minor things to keep in mind.
    1. The hatch you use in your initial sketch is typically reserved for concrete block (cross hatch). Did this evolve from a two-material exercise, or was that just a misrepresentation.
    2. You have spent an enormous amount of energy, focusing on the connections/notching of the wood members. But you forgot to render how the vertical and horizontal members are held together. The initial sketch shows 4 bolts. Let us know if you were still thinking about using that connection method on the final, or if you discovered a way to hide all of your fasteners.
    3. This is a construction related comment. Since you are showing an existing condition (residential patio), have you thought about how this pergola is going to be installed? You are more likely going to have to rip up the existing patio and I would think about how the wood members are going to touch the ground.
    4. The last issue you need to think about is the finishing aspect. If this is going to be exposed to the elements, the wood will most likely need to be pressure treated. If that’s the case, it limits your options on staining and painting the wood itself. Let us know if you thought about this and if you have a solution in mind.

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  • 1893440180

    -DanielKaye- Thank you for your comments! My favorite part of designing this project was figuring out how it actually works. I was very excited to read that you understood how the design works without ever being exposed to the design as a whole. I like to think through a design with a pen in my hand and a sketchbook, and I wanted to show how those initial ideas translated into a working digital model. I love the ideas you have concerning the nesting of the detail and how similar details would react in different contexts. Unfortunately I was designing for this patio in particular and had not gone through that exercise in the process. Now that I am aware of that idea I would like to run with it and see where it takes me:) I had a difficult time knowing that a pergola is a hard project to reinvent the wheel with, but I carried through with a simple solution that works. Through studying pergola designs i noticed a trend for people to makes things as straightforward as possible. The results are rather unsightly. There is no proportion and too many exposed clips and angles for my taste. I saw no respect to the many possibilities of joining wood. I also wanted something to create something straightforward as possible, but that it would also be interesting and elegant. That it’s function (it structural connections) would yield a nice form

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  • http://thedesignatedsketcher.com/members/matthewcolianni/ Matthew Colianni

    D.S. Thank you for your compliments! To answer your questions there are many more sketchbook pages and research behind the decisions I made that are not shown here, but i would like to answer and follow through with supplemental images. (1) This was an honest mistake, and it is a misrepresentation of material. I had played with stone capitals and columns, but this representation was intended to be wood. (2) I intended for exposed bolts, very similar to the pattern you see on the sketch. Expect follow up drawings to show this connection. (3) I had several ideas in mind that I worked through in my sketchbook. After researching my options I have decided on a poured concrete ground footing, which would also require changes to the existing patio to accommodate the posts. Expect follow up drawings to show this as well. (4) Yes, this would be outdoors and exposed to the elements. I plan for a pressure treated cedar or red cedar lumber. My favorite finish options are either a natural patina, or preserve a red cedar with a transparent stain (higher maintenance, but more lively color). I tend to dislike the painted pergolas. I think a rustic look would blend nicely with the custom fireplace this would be covering.

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  • GoN

    Hi!,
    The resulting space is really nice. Pergolas have this effect, and they’re even better when they hold some kind of light plants and vegetation to cast shadows.
    The only “black point” I see, watching the simplicity of the construction, is that you could have gone a little bit beyond and try, for instance, to make something similar using no screws -as the did in japan in the middle ages-.
    Then the project would have won a lot. However, it looks great too the way it is.

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  • 1893440180

    GoN: Thank you for your compliments! What i have shown here is my plans for a project that was designed to be built for two clients in Minnesota. Considering such, i stuck with construction methods I thought that myself and the clients would be comfortable building with. I have not done much research on Japanese timber construction. do you think it would be safe for use in a Midwestern climate? (a lot of moisture, and extreme annual temperature extremes) I do know that Japanese architecture is well known for its longevity, and innovation. and I have no doubt that i could have used an interesting screw-less connection here, but it would have been hard to sell to the clients.

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  • http://thedesignatedsketcher.com/members/designated-sketcher-2-2-2-2-2/ designated sketcher

    You have really expressed a great understanding of your project so far. I am also impressed with the follow up images you have provided to my initial commentary. I agree that a fastener-less connection detail could be spectacular, but given the climate and without implicit knowledge that it would hold up over time, I think your solution of 4 carriage bolts per corner works.
    .
    I like your decision to use a red cedar here and if you can I would always recommend the non-pressure treated option. What you are probably finding out though, is that clients (and homeowners in particular( don’t necessarily want the highest design quality if it means continual maintenance.
    .
    Regardless, this is a impressive design exercise and the fact that you have provided details, construction methods, materials, you’re halfway to creating a permit set – not to mention a great presentation tool to use when meeting with your clients.
    .
    Keep up the good work!

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  • http://thedesignatedsketcher.com/members/pensaer/ pensaer

    What I love about your representation, is its simplicity. It fluidly translates from the sketch to the contextual renderings-in other words I don’t have to ask you much about this at all. They aren’t CD’s, so some of the details mentioned above may not be too critical at this stage of development, but good to consider nonetheless. However, in the aggregate, what I interpret from this, is an idea that develops into a precursor to an instruction manual. If that’s what was intended, I believe you’ve succeeded. In terms of design work, I would be interested in how the pergola relates to, and is informed by, the adjacent architecture (would love to see it). If it stands alone as an isolated post-modern folly, it my look good in isolation-at least on paper or computer screen, but how would it render itself architecturally in context? One of the renderings shows a fire hearth with a deciduous trees-very fitting regarding the skeletal nature of native vegetation in dormancy. In other words the emphasis is on the structure, the materials, and how it’s assembled rather than the sense of place that results from its existence-as previously mentioned, it does lack a certain level of excitement. I would encourage you to reexamine your design and challenge yourself in terms of place creation and architectural context. As a designer, it behooves you to approach this, if for nothing els, to differentiate your work from being just another mail order pergola. In conclusion, I like what you’ve presented, simply because I think that your illustrations demonstrate what this competition is about; namely, resolving the chasm between the design sketch and the virtual model. AE

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  • 1893440180

    pensaer: I am going to share a collection of images that inspired my design decisions. The context this is planned to be built on has a fascinating homemade fireplace, the one you mentioned. The purpose of the pergola is to protect the fireplace, visually and literally. On location i also drew inspiration from an empty wine barrel, plant hangers, vine trellis, hand laid stone capitals for a light post, etc… I wanted to interpret the material palette, and the interesting details I found in the previously mentioned fixtures. I hoped with this project that the finished pergola would tie together everything that has already been established. Another factor that played a huge role in the design was protecting the view of the Western Horizon. The owners of this house love sunsets and the plains of Western Minnesota/Fargo. Do you feel that structure.materials.assembly can existence simultaneously? in general and specifically with this project?

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  • http://thedesignatedsketcher.com/members/gon/ GoN

    Hi again!,
    Yes it’s true. If this project is going to be built then the budget -and the time- have a major weight on the decisions made.
    I didn’t tell you but i really think the main asset of your plans are how well they explain the constructing method. They look a little like these awesome instructions which come inside the ikea chairs and such, so that everyone can set the piece up with no effort or mistake. And that’s not an easy thig to express.

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  • http://thedesignatedsketcher.com/members/pensaer/ pensaer

    Thanks for explaining the ideas informing your design work. The photo collage is helpful in understanding the existing conditions; however, it would be even more helpful to understand the location of each image relative to the site in plan-especially in light of the importance that you’ve emphasized in your last written description.
    To answer your question regarding structure, material, and assembly: I would assert that they can definitely exist together as a composite architectural expression. A poetic use of structure, material and assembly has been achieved in the past by so many (Look at work by Wilkinson Eyre Architects).
    In your case, I might suggest looking at wine barrel cooperage. Perhaps some of the construction techniques and materials that they use could translate into that poetic architectural expression that would distinguish your work from GoN’s dreaded reference to IKEA. AE

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