The application of weathering steel in landscape design

You can often see a material in the landscape, the surface is a layer of rusty red material, feel very rough, the texture is very special, it does not look abrupt, even with the perfect combination of plants, in the rough and delicate, cold and warm, soft and hard combination of contrast, cohesion into a rich design context, its name is called weathering steel.
Weathering steel, also known as corrosion-resistant steel, first originated from the North American Corten steel, is a series of low-alloy steel between ordinary steel and stainless steel, weathering steel from ordinary carbon steel with a small amount of copper, nickel and other corrosion-resistant elements. It has the characteristics of high quality steel such as toughness, plastic extension, forming, welding, corrosion, high temperature and fatigue resistance.

Principle of weathering steel

Characteristics of weathering steel

1. Rust-resistant, corrosion-resistant, with 4-8 times higher atmospheric corrosion resistance than ordinary steel
2. Material can be recycled, very low carbon and environmental protection
3. Corrosion resistance of steel parts to extend life, thinning and reducing consumption, saving energy and labor (weathering resistance is 2-8 times higher than ordinary carbon steel)
4. Green environmental protection No need for initial painting (in serious atmospheric pollution or non-special humid areas); can reduce the use of fireproof coatings and fireproof cladding, thus reducing pollution, shortening the work period, reducing costs and maintenance, is a kind of "green", sustainable development of the economy of steel.
As early as the early 20th century, some avant-garde artists abroad used steel for sculpture creation. Since steel rust is a natural state of the material itself which is very much in line with the principle of authenticity of artistic expression, steel has become one of the materials for modern landscape modeling art design over time.
After rusting, ordinary steel will gradually corrode and age until it breaks, but the emergence of weathering steel gives designers the opportunity to make full use of the rusted form of steel in the creation of plastic art to express.

Design in the landscape of weathering steel

1. It has outstanding visual expressiveness. The color brightness and saturation of the rusted steel plate is higher than the general material of the structure, so it is easy to stand out in the background of the garden greenery. In addition, the rough surface produced by the rusted steel plate makes its structure more voluminous and quality.
2. It has strong form shaping ability. Like other metal materials, rusted steel is easy to be shaped into rich and varied shapes, and can maintain excellent integrity, which is difficult to be achieved by wood, stone and concrete.

3. It also has a distinct ability to define space. Because of its great strength and toughness, steel plate is not as much limited as the thickness of masonry materials due to its structure. Therefore very thin steel plates can be used to separate space very clearly and precisely, making the site concise and clear, yet full of power.
4. Changing language of time. Rusted steel plate color by the environment, climate changes greatly, placed for a long time easily from bright red-brown into a dull dark blue-gray, with the aging of time, making the unique color and texture of weathering steel full of beauty can reflect the unique artistic charm. It can trace the history of the site, record the momentary sense of time, and extend the vitality of the site, so that limited materials can "symbiosis" with each other, reflecting the sustainable design concept.
Weathering steel is not only used in building structures and facades, but also in landscape architecture, retaining walls, landscape bridges, steps, sculptures, guide signs, planting ponds and other landscape features.