ClientMcNicholas Architects
LocationZionsville, IL
Project typeDrive and Entry Gate
Creek’s End is a private residential project located in Zionsville, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. The NOMMA Top Job submission includes a substantial drive gate, a pedestrian walk gate, and an 84-foot fencing run that matches the perimeter fencing. The traditional style of the design was created for the homeowner by McNichols Architects of Chicago.
Two 10-foot-tall white brick pillar posts form the foundation for the gate — the bi-parting gate is 8ft by 16ft — and a low stem wall of matching brick approaches each post.
The drive gates are comprised of two 8×8-foot panels that are 6 to 8 inches thick. Their design includes three main sections: a lower panel with tight arrangement of pickets, a main section for visibility, and a top rail panel with eight decorative medallions, capped by custom 6×6-inch finials. On one side of the gate is a pedestrian entry, with matching panels and a single medallion. The 84-feet of 62-inch-high fencing was constructed using rolled panels to accommodate a gentle curve.
The construction is aluminum, both extruded and custom cast. Fortunately, the choice of material provided some advantages over other options, as the final weight of each panel weighs in at less than 1,000 pounds. The size and thickness of the gate created several fabrication challenges which had to be met by Wiemann’s team of craftsmen and project managers.
At the direction of the architects, Wiemann set each gate on a heavy-duty hinge pivot system anchored to both the brick pillars, and steel embeds cast directly into the pillar footings. The embeds tie the pivots into the mass of the masonry, spreading the load and keeping the tall panels plumb and true through years of daily use. Locating the pivot below the panel also carries the weight vertically instead of pulling against a post, an approach suited to gates of this height and thickness.
