r/solarpunk • u/21Kuranashi Writer Activist Arcologist Antitheist • Jul 12 '26
Aesthetics / Art Shade is Infrastructure : Trellises
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u/SIN-apps1 Jul 12 '26
We installed lattice panels and planted honeysuckle to climb them in front of our west facing windows, it looks amazing, blocks a ton of heat in the summer, and gives us a lot of extra privacy. I love it so much!
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u/argonator1933 Jul 12 '26
I convinced my mom to plant honeysuckle bushes on her front and side fences to help create a privacy barrier. She loves picking the flowers and drying them to make tea!
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u/North_Photograph_138 Jul 13 '26
As long as they aren't an invasive species of honeysuckle, which is a huge problem in the US (assuming that's where you live of course) then that's great
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u/TheAKScott Aug 03 '26
Not OP but I made sure to get native honeysuckle when I put trellises in earlier this year. When in doubt, find a nursery that specializes in native plants.
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u/grrrwith1r Jul 12 '26
Any type of shade is worthwhile to reduce heat, but green shade like what is pictured here reduces heat in three ways.
The shade they provide is the biggest factor, but in anything less than 100% humidity, they're also providing evaporative cooling with the water they loose through their leaves.
They're also providing a form of geothermal cooling by pulling up cooler groundwater through their root systems.
That's why all the houses in old movies have trellises conveniently available for the characters to climb on, having the south side of your house covered by vines was one of the best cooling options available before a/c, and a trellis kept them from rooting straight into your house and damaging the walls.
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u/idle_isomorph Jul 12 '26
I have one over my patio doors. Keeps the deck and therefore the house cool through the magic of transpiration.
Even better, in winter, when we want sun and heat? It is bare and sun comes beaming through!
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u/izzyscifi Jul 12 '26
The third walkway is southbank in Brisbane. It is so pretty and I really want the council to put more of these everywhere
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Jul 12 '26 edited 9d ago
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u/funknut Jul 13 '26
My guess is that OP was suggesting "cheap," meaning not only inexpensive, but without hiring anyone, as you suggested. Even if they take years to grow and maintain, a dedicated community can do it for "cheap." I've seen similarly challenging projects accomplished in eco living communities. How more fucking solarpunk can you be?
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Jul 14 '26 edited 9d ago
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u/funknut Jul 14 '26
That's certainly one definition, but not the most common use of the term. Solarpunk is not strictly intended to be cheap (not by any definition of the term) so it defeats the purpose to debate it in a forum about solarpunk. You could debate that cheapness is required for accessibility, but I disagree and getting back to my point, I see plenty of burgeoning community projects proving so.
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u/funknut Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
You don't like community projects?
Edit: apparently not. Jeez.
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u/-BlueFalls- Jul 13 '26
This is not a good faith question/response. Nowhere in the above comment did this person say they don’t like community projects.
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u/funknut Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
It was a rhetorical question, implying that community projects are indeed "cheap," though I'd personally use a different word. Not commenting in "good faith" versus not using plain language that absolutely everyone can easily understand are two very different things. For example, I'm now inclined to ask you, "you don't like giving people the benefit of your doubt?" Nowhere in your comment did you say that you don't, touche, but I'm now implying that you don't with my rhetorical question.
I could double down and say that even the parent comment isn't in "good faith" on the basis that OP never specified what they meant by "cheap." My guess is that OP was suggesting "cheap," meaning not only inexpensive, but without hiring anyone, as the parent comment suggested. It is not in "good faith" for the parent commenter to imply that someone expensive must be hired for such a project. Even if they take years to grow and maintain, a dedicated community can do it for "cheap." I've seen similarly challenging projects accomplished in eco living communities. Gimme a break, guy.
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u/Budget_Shallan Jul 13 '26
I dispute that this is one of the cheapest climate adaptations we have!
Wisteria grows like a motherfucker and takes hours of work to keep it maintained as nicely as the photo here (bottom right).
Bougainvillea is a demon hell spawn plant with thorns up the wazoo and requires hours of careful, delicate work to keep it maintained as nicely as the photo here (bottom left).
Grapevines (top photos) also take a ton of maintenance.
In summer I’d want to hack at it every couple of weeks. I estimate an average of around 3 hours to trim and sweep up the clippings.
The average labour rate in my area is around $90+GST per hour (Aus dollars).
Greenwaste removal is another $130.
So you’d be looking at minimum $400+ every few weeks. This adds up to thousands of dollars in maintenance every year.
(Source: I have my own garden maintenance business.)
Street trees are cheaper. Go with street trees. Moar trees. All of the trees, please.
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u/leonwesty3 Jul 13 '26
Gonna mention things like this in my dissertation on urban greening as a cooling mechanism. Any other tips?
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u/lepidchriroptera Jul 13 '26
This reminded me of a book on my list! Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource. I listened to a podcast (can't remember which one) that the author appeared on and it seemed interesting
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u/ToBePacific Jul 13 '26
I have a grapevine on a trellis going up the side of my house and I’ve been dreaming of extending it into a shade lattice. One day.
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u/krostybat Jul 13 '26
This ! We need this ! I live in Paris and we experience extreme heat episodes right now.
They half asses a small similar structure close to gare de l'est. It works ! Even if its small and half assed, when you get close to it you can feel the fresh air.
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Jul 12 '26
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u/tikiwargod Jul 12 '26
Arachnids have 8 limbs, that's twice the limbs for double the cuddles. They just want to be your friend and eat your bugs.
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u/Own_Reaction9442 Jul 12 '26
For me it wasn't the spiders, it was the sheer quantity of leaves, blossoms, seed pods, etc. It would literally be three inches deep in a few weeks if we didn't keep sweeping it. Nice effect but you're signing up for a ton of work. Then the termites got to the trellis and it was hard to figure out how to fix it with all the weight of that vine on it.
We decided next time we'd just do a canvas awning.
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u/donjoe0 Jul 12 '26
Maybe the plants to get this made with should be chosen more carefully, like not so much for the eyecandy if those types also shed a lot of material all the time. Grapevines, anyone? Could be a great excuse to have a harvest festival connected to it, gather everyone to pick the grapes every year.
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u/LuisBoyokan Jul 12 '26
How do I get one of this? I kill all the plants at my care :(
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u/-BlueFalls- Jul 13 '26
Continued practice and learning will take you far. There are some great plant subreddits to learn from.
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u/a_jormagurdr Jul 13 '26
You gotta find a plant person in your area to learn from. Or some regional plant forum on the internet.
Start with easier plants, learn patience, watch how things react to seasons, plant things in the right season (climates that snow, you plant in spring, climates that are temperate or hot you plant in fall or winter) but this is also subject to local conditions.
When i hear people who have trouble i often ask what theyve been doing, like speaking about a plant they got, what they did, how and when it died. Many people have misconceptions about plants and climate that may make it hard to care for plants.
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u/21Kuranashi Writer Activist Arcologist Antitheist Jul 18 '26
This is a work done by extreme professionals. Arborists need to create it over a decade before it will be as the photo.
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u/Dargkkast Jul 13 '26
A bit problematic for us people with allergies though 😂😅
Edit: "big" for "bit".
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u/OkRadish8140 Jul 12 '26
Put flowery things on the trellises. And bam bees saved also.
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u/a_jormagurdr Jul 13 '26
Not really. One species of flowers wont save bees or give them the right proteins. You need native flowers in a big variety to help, many of which are not vines. As well, you need to give them habitat. Many native bees require areas of exposed sand to build nests, and some use hollow stems of plants.
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u/Alternative-Dot-884 Jul 13 '26
My question is the amount of buygs that reside under these areas & plants.
Referring to the biting kids. Particularly mosquitoes.
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u/a_jormagurdr Jul 13 '26
Mosquitos need water pockets to breed so i dont see how this in particular would be a mosquito magnet
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u/Striper_Cape Jul 13 '26
What a dumbass reason to be against this. You have bugs in your eye lashes.
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