Gabion walls on facades and buildings

It has been some time since stone gabions began to be used for more than just their traditional use as retaining walls. In fact, today we can say that they have become a basic element in the construction and landscaping sector in many aspects. But if you are passionate about architecture and follow magazines on trends, you will have noticed that the use of gabions as a construction element is increasing every day. In fact, it is quite common to find architects who are using gabions in their building projects, even in private homes. Having said all this, you may have wondered what a gabion is and what it is used for. That is precisely why today we want to clear up all these doubts and help you understand what a gabion or stone wall is and what use is given to gabions in architecture.

WHAT ARE GABIONS?

You may have seen them in different spaces and in both public and private works, right? Every day it is more and more common to find gabions as retaining walls in parks, as fences in private gardens or even as decorative elements in commercial spaces. But do you really know what gabions are? Gabions are electro-welded mesh boxes in which stones are usually inserted. With this we obtain a stable stone wall that will also have two main characteristics. On the one hand, it allows us to transport it without any problem other than the weight of the gabion itself. On the other hand, it is very stable and does not need any type of mortar or cement, which makes the process much easier both in time and cost. This, which a priori may seem a problem, is nevertheless one of the strong points of gabions since you do not need to have large spaces or construction knowledge to incorporate them into your landscaping project. But what happens when we want gabions to be part of our own home? How can you implement this element in your project? Below we are going to see the uses you can give to your gabions as architectural elements.

GABIONS IN ARCHITECTURE

We will approach this section by giving three different examples of buildings in which gabions have been used as construction elements.

Canine Unit Brigade in Houilles, France.

Project by Transform + ds. This project was designed by the architectural firm TRANSFORM + DS. It uses gabion as a cladding for the building, creating a perimeter wall that wraps around the building and protects it from the elements at the same time.

Hermana Republica Brewery in Yucatan, Mexico.

Project by Muñoz Arquitectos. In this particular case, the Muñoz Arquitectos studio wanted to use the gabions to represent typical Yucatan constructions, the albarradas. In this project the gabions were used, on the one hand, to delimit the enclosure as a perimeter fence and on the other hand, as load-bearing walls to support the weight of the rest of the volume.

Access to Parque Metropolitano Sur, Chile.

Project by Polidura Talhouk Architects. Stone is used in this project for two different reasons. First, to create a building in keeping with the landscape and the constructions of the area, based on stone walls. On the other hand, to make the most of the light by creating a building with translucent walls, which creates plays of light and shadows in the interior. As you can see, basically in all cases gabions are used in architectural projects for the same reasons.

Gabions provide buildings with the solidity of stone walls, as well as allowing light and air to pass through. This allows them to be used alone as load-bearing walls in buildings where their characteristics require ventilation. They also allow us to use them as a decorative element in buildings, simply by using them as a wall covering for some of the vertical walls. Whatever the case may be, what we can assure you if you decide to use gabions as architectural elements is that, without a doubt, you will not leave anyone indifferent.