At a gabion it is a container made of wire, which is filled with stones. The brick wall basket is used in different contexts. It can be used as a design element as well as for different functions, for example in landscape architecture. Suitable baskets can be used to attach slopes or to equip water banks. But as noise protection, the material is often used.

History and construction

The history of gabion can be traced back to the military field. Here you know the gabion as a „Schanzkorb“. The vernacular still knows the etymology of the word in the saying: one entrenches himself in a fortification. The Schanzkörbe served here the attachment of the appropriate place. They have a long tradition. In the Middle Ages, the corresponding technology was already known. The baskets were woven from willow and filled with stone material. The swing baskets have been of particular importance since the invention of gunpowder. Due to rifles, the need arose to seek a particularly enhanced protection behind stone. With appropriate Schanzkörben this was affordable. However, the device was not only used in the Middle Ages and early modern times for military purposes. It is used in this context until today. So it is used among other things by the US Army for the attachment of support posts.

Use in landscape architecture

In landscape architecture, the baskets are again used to build a fortifying wall. For stone slopes with danger of slipping or river banks such walls are used purposefully. They fix the uncertain mass and thus fulfill a very specific purpose. Even in mountain terrain with a risk of falling rocks, individual paths or galleries can be specifically protected. The element thus serves the safety of the passers as well as the attachment of the existing terrain. Another use of appropriate wall elements is observed in the field of noise protection. A variety of well-traveled trains is separated by such a wall of stone from residential areas and federal highways or highways are repeatedly limited by it. In this way, noise insulation is provided. The volume of the traffic route penetrates only reduced over the wall away. Corresponding design elements are used by many municipalities and are used in the expansion of transport routes.

Gabion as a design element

Also as a design element is the gabion used. The masonry is simple and complements well with certain buildings. It harmonises with bungalow buildings not only gestalerisch. The stone wall can provide cool temperatures in the summertime and, in winter, isolate the heat inside the house. The rustic look in turn has its charm, which can complement well with certain plants. In contrast to the hedge or the trees proves one gabion as a particularly easy care. The stone wall does not take a long time to grow to the correct height, nor does it need to be trimmed regularly or discards foliage. All of these may be reasons why the stone wall is often used as a design element by a large number of people. It is valued above all for its practical utility.

Flexible sizes and compilation

The stone wall can be constructed and designed quite flexibly. Both the height of the wall and their arrangement can be chosen relatively freely. The stone material with which the gabion is filled up, can be put together differently according to desire. As a result, the gabion can be constructed in different colors as well as different sizes of the stone material provide for different patterns. Usually a simple gravel is chosen, which is cheaper and comparatively elegant in its simplicity. The built-up wall can be left in this simplicity, as it can be cultivated with different plants. By rain or steam jet it can be cleaned easily and painted and this wall of stone must not be. Overall, it is a material that combines simplicity and efficiency in an ideal relationship.