06/03/2019
The P E R G O L A
Franciscan Monasteries were all about serenity, reflexion and peacefulness. Every room and every space was carefully planned to have a purpose and good function in the first place. The same was true for the gardens: it was also important to have places for reflection in the outdoors.
In the renaissance gardens like this one the pergola, or the shaded pathway (for rest or mindful discussions), was always placed in the meeting point of low land with the high land. The same principle has been used here. The pathway led from one part of the garden to the other, dividing it into a vegetable garden in the low part and an orchard in the high part.
What we found on site was just grass and two low stone walls that outlined the former shape of the pergola. Usually the pillars were made of stone and the top cover was done with wooden beams overgrown with grapes for shade. We wanted to recreate the emotion and the function that the pergola had in the past, but reinterpreted it in a contemporary manner. We used metal lamellas to create the thinnest possible structure that could still endure the strong winds and the vegetation that will cover it in a year or two.
In general, we wanted all our interventions in the garden to be minimal and the least intrusive, so that in years that will come they would feel like they have belonged there forever. We left the wood untreated for the first winter so that it would get the beautiful gray patina and blend in with the stone in the garden.
We love this motif so much we couldn’t choose just one photo 😊. We hope you will enjoy the view as much as we have.
furniture 📷.odak