Character is integrated into the
configuration by the 4 solid kneebraces between each connection of post to beam in both N-S and
E-W directions. The kneebraces are positioned at different elevations per
their orientation. They provide the bi-directional lateral
bracing necessary for the freestanding structure. They are carved to
complement each of the intersecting beams' different vertical dimensions and
differently carved ends.
All bolts and brackets are hidden and it is this
feature that gives this structure its sleek aerial delineation.
After having built three versions
of this design earlier (the Wingartner,
Sharma and Krevet
projects) a number of improvements have been incorporated here into version
IV:
-
Every element of the canopy has
been capped with a PVC laminate so that not one wooden piece is exposed
skyward to the parching sun and inclement weather. Occasional repainting with just
spray-paint should preserve this wooden structure indefinitely (PVC plastic
caps retain latex paint tenaciously).
-
The wooden post bases are
elevated internally 2 inches off the masonry patio by the solid-plastic
1x6 base-trim at the bottom and caulked with waterproof polyurethane caulking at all the
seams and patio contact.
-
The exposed electrical conduit
has been installed to mimic the contours of the elements to which it is
affixed throughout its entire length
(see the back left post in the first photo and the photo below).
-
Electrical connector boxes for
the suspended lamps have been recessed into the wooden arches so only
the decorative cover-plate is visible (see photo below).
The suspended lamps in
both arches provide congenial night-time patio-lighting. Couple this with
the rippling blue lighting of the under-lit swimming pool and the
low-voltage ground lighting around the patio and within the adjacent
elevated planters, and the night-time view is just spectacular – and for the
uninitiated, the experience is quite mesmerizing. A really cool place to be on a
hot summer's night.
Covered by the same architectural
copyright,
here is a smaller version of the original above. It's set into a hillside
and is designed as a swing platform for viewing the valley below --
the reason for the horizontal center beam cutting through the other-wise open
billowed canopy. Note the use of arched knee-bracing above the post collars
for added lateral stability.
For more info
see
the Williams project.
The basic brim and billow design of the Buckley Arbor was later extended in
2006 to an arbor with
two billows.
Note the intersecting 4x4 lath in the
canopy without involving any corner rafters for support. Note the robust
1ft. thick 5ft. diameter skylight suspended merely by the impinging
4x4 lath balanced over the arched beams. All this is architectural and
structural firsts, receiving architectural copyright
VA
1-379-204.
For more information on this design,
see the Johnson Project.
