For numerous moons, mankind has been employing the venerable gabion basket, a steel cage brimming with stones or nature’s own handiwork. These robust bastions have found their purpose in military fortifications, civil engineering endeavors, and the artful tapestry of landscaping. In truth, as the illustrious Leonardo da Vinci endeavored to erect the formidable Sforza Castle in Milan, his ingenious mind conceived of gabion baskets fashioned from woven bastions, christening them “Corbeille Leonard.” Flash forward to the present day, where the inexorable march of progress in industrial materials and the boundless imagination of architects and visionaries intertwine, birthing a renaissance of sorts for the humble gabion basket. It is now revered as an emblem of architectural innovation, adorning the visage of museums, hotels, and the dwellings of the discerning few, shaping the very countenance of modern edifices.
Visual Illustrations:
Photo: Maciej Lulko
3/10: Witness the artistry of Kropka Studio, whose deft touch hath bestowed upon a dwelling in Zawiercie, Poland, a tapestry of gabion basket walls, teeming with the indigenous limestone that graces its environs. These design elements harmoniously entwine the abode with the very fabric of its surroundings, paying homage to the nearby vestiges of ancient castle ruins.
4/10: Lake|Flato Architecture hath fashioned a path of whimsy, adorning the hallowed grounds of the San Antonio Children’s Museum with corridors flanked by resplendent gabion basket walls, filled to the brim with recycled glass. Under the cloak of darkness, these woven sentinels come aglow, illuminating the azure glass fragments and transforming the mundane into the realm of the sublime.
5/10: Tread upon the sands of Malfa, on the picturesque isle of Capri, where Lake|Flato has joined hands with landscape designer Christine Ten Eyck to summon forth an al fresco oasis. Here, amidst minimalist water features, subtle cascades, and the enchantment of simplicity, gabion basket walls rise, shielding patrons from prying eyes, and offering a tranquil refuge in perfect harmony with nature’s bounty.
6/10: Behold the magnum opus erected by the visionary Titus Bernhard, gracing the German city of Augsburg with the dazzling 9×9 House. Here, the exterior façade is beset by a cascade of gabion baskets, their rough-hewn visage juxtaposed against the radiant minimalism that permeates the hallowed halls within.
