A quality fence can increase the security and privacy of a property, but aside from practicality, a great fence can also be an impressive stand-alone feature that may increase the value of a property greatly.

Here are five fences from around the world that we found to be impressive.

1. Cor-Ten Cattails Sculptural Fence

The Cor-Ten Carrails Sculptural Fence consists of 300 x 3-metre-high steel alloy blades placed 20cm apart. It was built for the practical role of keeping deer out of a home in Berwyn, Pennsylvania but also had a requirement to be creative in design. The use of steel alloy ensures a beautiful dark, corrosion-free rust colour and eliminates the need for painting.

2. Not Whole Fence by Ball-Nogues Studio

This Not Whole Fence was constructed as a protective barrier between a children’s playground and a baseball field in El Paso, Texas. When designing this fence, the team at Ball-Nogues Studio wanted to recreate the “golden days “of baseball where children stole glimpses of ballgames through gaps in a fence.

The fence is made from custom aluminium pieces that were milled with a wood grain pattern and anodized with a copper hue. The pattern allows for light to fall through the fence and the fabricated “knotholes” in the design provide glimpses of the inside world (the baseball field).

3. Aquarium Fence, Turkey

A millionaire home-owner in Turkey went above and beyond to erect this164 foot long living aquarium fence. It’s filled with thousands of fish, octopuses and eels and is connected to the Aegean Sea via an underground pipeline. This ensures that the water in the fence is constantly being refreshed and stays sparkling clean. The fence has become a tourist attraction that draws close to 1000 visitors a day.

4. Mirrored Fence by Alyson Shotz

More art than a practical fence, but no less impressive, this mirrored fence can be found at the Storm King Art Centre in Hudson Valley, New York. It’s made from acrylic, wood, and aluminium resulting in a mirrored effect that reflects the ever-changing, surrounding landscape. It’s basically a new fence every day.

5. Flight of the Swallow by Ancient Art of Stone

This spectacular stonewall in Canada was created by a husband and wife couple who specialise in artistic stone constructions. This wall in particular was inspired by a time when the couple witnessed a family of swallows being rescued from a cliff face nest in a sandstone quarry. The birds apparently made a stunning pattern in the wind that was mesmerising and is now recreated within the stonewall.