Special Feature — Hardscape Design Trends
Trend Spotting
Weathering Steel and Modular Wood Panels Offer New Distinctive Looks for Residential, Commercial and Public Landscapes Projects
by Nina A. Koziol
If you’ve walked the Illinois and Michigan
Canal State Trail in Lockport, Joliet or LaSalle, you’ve probably seen the rusty looking steel silhouettes of men, women, children and animals. They’re made of weathering steel, best known as cor-ten, the same material as the Chicago Picasso sculpture and the exterior of the Daley Center. Cor-Ten® is the United States Steel Corporation’s trade name for a corrosion-resistant steel used where higher strength and a longer life material is desired. Made from a group of steel alloys, the material eliminates the need for painting and, when exposed to weather, begins to rust, forming a colorful protective coating that slows the rate of future corrosion. Cor-Ten has found its way into the design lexicon of landscape architects looking for something new and different. Hana Ishikawa is the design principal at Site Design Group,
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Ltd. in Chicago. She’s used weathering steel in different projects. “It’s a pretty material and it’s typically used in a very industrial application—it evokes rough steel.” It’s been used for planters, decorative privacy panels, sculpture, edging and backdrops for fire pits, seating and borders. In the past, rusted metal was considered avoidable and undesirable (think=tetanus shot). But now, landscapers and designers are more appreciative of the material, especially for use in contemporary gardens. Ishikawa, however, laments that when some people think of weathering steel, the first thing that comes to mind are bridges. But the material offers an aesthetic beyond its typical industrial use. “It’s beautiful,” she says. “Anything that patinas is so interesting and I do hope to see more uses of it. This idea that it’s only meant for bridges or industrial use has to go.” (continued on page 106)
The Landscape Contractor February 2022
