WaterShapes

The web site for all professionals and consumers who've made or want to make water a part of their lives

Gold Sponsors

PHOTO OF CHAND BAORI COURTESY VICTORIA LAUTMAN, LOS ANGELES
PHOTO COURTESY JULIET WOOD DESIGN, ATLANTA, GA.
PHOTO COURTESY OUTSIDE THE LINES, ANAHEIM, CALIF.
PHOTO COURTESY RYAN HUGHES DESIGN|BUILD, TAMPA, FLA.
PHOTO COURTESY PINNACLE DESIGN, LA QUINTA, CALIF.
PHOTO COURTESY LIQUID DESIGNZ, WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J.
PHOTO COURTESY STUDIO JUNGLES, MIAMI, FLA.

Heritage Trails

The restoration of historic watershapes can be both exciting and satisfying, says engineer and commercial pool specialist William N. Rowley. But, he adds quickly, it can also be incredibly challenging as well, raising a host of issues few watershapers ever confront in their careers. To highlight these considerations, he discusses three California properties he’s recently helped rejuvenate, defining what it took to restore them to their former glory.

Balinese Balance

Bali has been captivating visitors for centuries with its relaxed island culture and unique Asian-Tropical design tradition. His clients wanted to capture that spirit in their small backyard, and the fact that Scott Cohen had visited Bali himself brought out his own love of the place in an inspiring design

Detail: C203

Managing waste water in the form of run-off and especially filter-backwash effluent can be surprisingly problematic, observes Dave Peterson, especially when the issue is left to an afterthought. In this detail, he offers an elegant waste-water solution in the form of a simple backwash pit.

Heater Help

The presence of unwanted cold water can lead to call-backs for builders and technicians who install heaters improperly. That's not good, notes Mike Fowler, who writes that keeping customers warm and happy requires following these sizing, selection, installation and maintenance procedures.

Circular Engagement

Adaptation, design flexibility, multi-functionality and an ability to vanish completely were all required in this masterful project engineered and designed by Daniel Netz. Here, he explains the ideas and processes that resulted in a waterfeature meant to be both iconic and completely retiring.

Detail: A770

While many construction details are forever hidden from view, notes Dave Peterson, others stand front and center. This waterwall treatment, for instance, is a prime example of a simple design idea that shapes the fluid characteristics of the feature while also keeping it from splashing into the surrounding area.

Failures of Trust

Engineers carry an almost sacred trust, with watershapers relying on them to design structures and systems that are reliable, science-based and code-compliant. When that trust is broken, says Dave Peterson, the consumer’s investment is at risk -- as is the watershaper’s reputation.

Little Great Lakes

From golf courses to private estates, small lakes have become a familiar part of both urban and suburban landscapes. But few people give much thought to these mostly man-made bodies of water, says lake designer George Forni, or to how they are designed, engineered, built and maintained. To fill that information gap, he surveys the basics with an eye toward defining qualities that make lakes both beautiful and enduring.

Bent to Last

Locked in the middle of walls and floors in everything from tiny fountains to gigantic commercial swimming complexes, a proper cage made up of steel reinforcing bars is the hidden strength that allows a concrete vessel to hold its form, come what may. Here, veteran steel contractor Larry Long takes a look at this key shell-shaping material, explaining what it takes to set up structures that will last a lifetime – and beyond.

Water Everywhere

While he didn't see the grand fountains and water displays he was expecting to find during his time in Venice, Jim McCloskey was nonetheless fascinated by the fontanas that grace more than 100 plazas, both great and small, that dot this hauntingly beautiful Italian city.

Guided by Style

A pictorial survey of five key garden styles. Book Notes includes reviews of a wide variety of publications hand-selected by a professional watershaper/landscape designer who sees their relevance in his life and work.

New Products at Watershapes.com

Pentair Refines Commercial Heater

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Pentair on upgrades it has made for its MasterTemp ASME pool heaters for commercial pools.

Construction Systems & Materials
Product information from Ramuc about a slip resistant additive designed for use with its pool paint additive.

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information covering Coolaroo's ready-to-hang line of shade sail kits for pool areas and decks.

Other Watershape Systems & Equipment
Product information on Code 3 Water's MP line of pumps designed to turn swimming pools into firefighting resources.

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information highlighting Aquamatic's Solar Bench system for use primarily on commercial pools.

Fountain Systems & Equipment
Product information on Delta Fountains geyser nozzles for use in pond, pool and fountain-basin applications.

Buen Diseno

WaterShapes World (blog)
At their best, wateshape designs make artistic statements that compliment and amplify the surrounding environment, while reflecting the personality of both the designer and homeowner. As Eric Herman relates, it’s a feeling that’s hard to define, but yet unmistakable when present.