What is the lifespan of a pergola?
In a matter of years, the pergola has become an equipment of choice in the house’s renovation site. This object has indeed several assets going for it: aesthetic, comfort, practicality. However, like all major household equipment, the question of its lifespan should be asked even though it’s not set up yet. After all, what is the sustainability of a pergola? Which model should be favoured for a long-term use?
Why choose a sustainable pergola?
To understand the interest of a pergola designed from the start to travel through time, one should briefly take interest into the pergola’s usual use.
What’s the use of a pergola?
First things first, the pergola is designed to protect the house’s residents from bad weather and climate. Pergolas are especially designed for a warm season outside use, even though modern bioclimatic pergolas play a part in the temperature regulation inside the house, at all seasons. In any case, the pergola must necessarily be resistant to bad weather, and must neither get warped, nor discoloured, nor damaged when facing excessive heat or long exposures to sunshine or rain.
The second point to take into account covers the incorporation of the pergola to the house. Generally adjoined to a facade, the pergola remains an equipment incorporated to the house, even though its place is outside. While not a mobile element, it is nevertheless a permanent part of the property. It should therefore require as little maintenance as the other major parts of the house, such as the walls or the woodwork.
A sustainable pergola, to reduce its maintenance
In this context, the primary interest of a sustainable pergola is, just like any other masonry or woodwork in the house, to require as little maintenance as possible. To do so, you should favour resistant material which requires no specific treatment and is easily maintained.
A sustainable pergola, so we shall never replace it
Ideally, the pergola should be able to last as long as the house itself, that is to say several decades! Hence, the suitable materials to use should be sustainable, resistant, and able to travel through time without deteriorating. Their visual anti-ageing ability should be taken into account as much a possible, in order to avoid any early replacement for aesthetic reasons.
Nevertheless, sustainability doesn’t stop to the ability to resist to time and bad weather. A sustainable pergola is equally a pergola that is easily fixed in case an accident occurred, without it being necessary to replace it entirely.
Aluminium, the ideal material for a pergola that travels through decades
According to the criteria earlier mentioned, aluminium would obviously be the best compromise for designing particularly sustainable pergolas.
A reliable and very resistant material
Aluminium is well-known for its toughness and its insensitivity to corrosion. It doesn’t rust, nor does it buckle, even under the most extreme climate conditions. It is therefore the basic material of choice for building very resistant pergolas, capable of travelling through the decades without requiring any heavy maintenance or treatment of the materials. Indeed, current maintenance of an aluminium pergola only requires a simple sponge!
A light material for modular structures
Thanks to aluminium’s ductility and its lightness, you may create modular assemblies which are easy to fix.
Even though it ages well, a pergola may still be subject to an accident caused by a third party, the fall of a branch, or a slight collision with a vehicle. The modular design allows an easy replacement of the malfunctioning or damaged elements, whether it be a section of the structure, an adjustable slat, an engine, or an integrated lighting.
However, beware! Even though aluminium allows the design of modular solutions, it’s throughout its design’s quality that its potential is enabled.
A material suitable for any choice of pergola design
Finally, aluminium is equally ideal for obtaining a well-designed pergola which is perfectly adapted for the house. Shaped in the mass, aluminium may be nuanced in a wide range of colours, forms and textures.
It is thus possible to build a pergola perfectly tailored to the needs of the residents of the house and to said home’s style.
The major importance of design and setting up
But of course, the sole choice of material is no seal of guaranty regarding the pergola’s sustainability. The quality of design and set-up is thus crucial to achieve a good product.
A sustainable pergola is a well-designed pergola
Several features should be taken into account during the pergola’s design in order to ensure its sustainability. On one hand, the exposure and the equipment’s right layout should be thought through with regard to the house and its environment. Is the pergola well placed with respect to the sun and to the equipment which should remain in the shadow? According to the local climatic context, should the slats you chose be parallel or perpendicular to the facade? Answering correctly will allow you to make the best use of the pergola.
A sustainable pergola is a pergola well set up
Beyond design, setting-up is equally a critical phase to ensure the quality of the equipment and its best performances throughout the years.
To maintain the pergola’s performances and secure on the long-term, set it up as near as possible to masonries, while keeping it waterproof and well in line with opposite existing buildings.