IOTA - plant containers

Cladding timber onto steel is a good option to consider, when designing timber planters on a large scale for high-end commercial projects. Naturally beautiful, thermally insulating, and requiring minimal maintenance, timber can be a good choice for planters. There are many ways to create planters from timber, to suit a wide range of aesthetic

Planting schemes for super-prime residential developments have particular design and specification challenges. This article explores factors to consider and gives tips on material specifications to ensure quality and keep costs under control

An argument for why 1.4003-grade Stainless Steel should be much more widely specified for landscape products A. BACKGROUND Most specifiers are familiar with 304 and 316-grade Stainless Steels, and will know that they are extremely expensive, but have exceptional technical performance in terms of longevity and corrosion resistance. Many will also

Key factors to consider when designing and specifying tree planters. Tree planters can be made to any size, shape or design / arrangement. However, above a certain size, production economics and logistical constraints dictate that the planter must be sectioned. If the project allows it, the most cost-effective way to specify planters is to specify sizes that can be produced from a single

Discover how integrating balustrades, trellising and fences into planters can reduce costs, increase usability and provide integrated safety for roof garden perimeters

This guide to container planting outlines, in a 10-step process, all essential requirements for a successful commercial planter installation. 1. Fill the bottom of the planters with an appropriate drainage layer. Prior to this step, if desired, the planters can be lined at the base with geotextile membrane, which will help to clean any water

IOTA reviews the most commonly-specified design options for planters, to mitigate the challenge of sloping or uneven ground. Particularly in public realm, where surfaces are often set at an incline for drainage, a common question is how to design planters to mitigate the challenge of falls and uneven ground. As with so much in design, there are no perfect solutions

Discover how to integrate seating into planters. In addition to bespoke solutions, there are two generic techniques that can be applied to adapt existing planter designs without incurring excessive costs: offset cantilevered seating; and partially offset top-mounted seating

Surface decoration for sheet metal planters A discussion of why, and how, the surfaces of sheet metal planters can be decorated, in support of different design objectives. A. Design rationale for surface decoration In most landscape schemes, the plants and trees are the stars of the show, and the planters’ role is to: serve the needs of the plants

Bespoke manufacture in metal is the ideal choice when designing planters on a large scale. Production constraints and logistics demand that planters over a certain size will need to be split into more manageable units. Rather than abutting multiple smaller planters, fabricating a large planter in sections for on-site assembly is a much neater and

Corten Steel – The facts and the unique benefits Corten Steel is a ‘Marmite’ material, and it is also widely misunderstood. In this article, we seek to separate the fact from the fiction; and to explain exactly why Corten Steel is a material to embrace when designing and specifying landscape projects. The Key Benefits of Corten Steel are: a

Learn about the material, design and manufacturing factors to consider when specifying metal planters for use in coastal locations. Depending on the area of the country, the prevailing winds, and local topography, the coastal zone may end a few blocks from the ocean or it may extend many miles inland. There is a hierarchy of metals for this particular environment

IOTA explains the design and functionality issues to consider when specifying that planters should be movable with in-built castors. There are basically two options, each with their pros and cons - lockable and non-lockable

A review of materials and design options most commonly specified for planters used in green outdoor dining areas. As the demand for provision of outside dining increases, using planters can help in a number of ways: delineating the area from the public realm to protect pedestrians and diners; bringing greenery and colour to enhance the customer experience

There are three commonly-specified design options that enable a planter to be lifted and moved via pallet truck or fork lift. Which option to specify generally comes down to a cost vs. aesthetic trade-off. The first option is to design the planter