WaterShapes

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

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Photo courtesy Selective Designs, Atlanta, Ga.
Photo courtesy Crystal Fountains, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Photo courtesy Laughing Waters, Palos Heights, Ill.
Photo courtesy Aquatic Consultants, Miami, Fla.
Photo courtesy Colorado Hardscapes, Denver, Colo.
Photo courtesy New Leaf Landscape, Agoura Hills, Calif.
Photo courtesy Drakeley Pool Co., Bethlehem, Conn.
Photo courtesy Mystic Water Gardens, Encino, Calif.

Casting Nature

Decorative-concrete artist Tommy T. Cook has built a reputation for being able to create almost anything from concrete using an array of highly refined and boldly artful processes. In this feature, he demonstrates a portion of that skill by describing how he uses the gargantuan Gunnera plant to craft watershapes in which replicas of the plant’s outsized leaves serve as uniquely natural fountain basins and spillways.

A Steep Achievement

The unique, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home had a lot going for it, but it needed a truly daring addition to reach its full potential. William Drakeley was more than ready to meet the need -- despite a steep slope, a tricky stone ledge and a bold, multi-phase approach to construction.

Seeking Engagement

Getting down to cases, Robert Mikula and Simon Gardiner conclude a two-part series by highlighting three great fountains and discussing how planning for multiple layers of community involvement have resulted in their emergence as indispensable urban resou

Shaping with Light

Lighting the various planes, elevations and contours of today's swimming pools is a challenge: It takes familiarity with the capabilities of modern LEDs, notes Graham Orme, but it's also important to think about safety, angles, intensity and the goal of

Monumental Pride

Working on major projects is always good for company morale, notes Denise Housler. But in this case, the fact that it was a monument meant to commemorate veterans from their own county kicked both their emotions and their desire to nail the details up by

#29: Cabana

Important choices must be made with smaller lot sizes. As Mike Farley points out in his introduction to this video, that usually means editing things down to balance client desires with the known dynamics of outdoor spaces and factors related to utility,

Working the Angles

The inside of the client's home reflected her refined style sense, but the outside, well, not so much. That led Kurt Kraisinger to pursue a path that transformed her humdrum suburban backyard into a sleek Contemporary showpiece -- one with a subtly nautical presence.

Natural Transference

Watershaper David Garton has spent a career mastering the fine points of ponds, waterfalls and streams – skills he now teaches to others in the Denver area. Here, he leads us through a discussion of what he does to make his creations measure up to the real thing right down to the smallest details, giving significant nods along the way to the character of the settings and, as important, to clients and their future pride of ownership.

Welcoming Waters

The restoration of the private lake pictured in this article offered watershaper George Forni a set of challenges that ranged from completely recasting the lake’s structure, filtration and circulation system to devising a variety of design features aimed at bringing both fine aesthetics and ample family fun to the setting. The result, he says, is a project that was unusually comprehensive in scope and unfailingly remarkable in execution.

Devils in the Details

Back in 2003, Brian Van Bower wrote about the sorry state of the art with respect to pool plans and argued for applying commercial-level standards to residential projects. So where do things stand today?

Rough-Hewn Elegance

Designed by the firm of Lawrence Halprin & Associates and dedicated in 1970, the Ira Keller Fountain in Portland, Ore., pays homage to the way water moves through Columbia Gorge, a key landform to the east of the city. I had visited the gorge not long before, and the fountain struck me as impressive in the way only something inspired by nature can be.

Liking It Hot

Inside the outdoor-kitchen phenomenon. 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.

CRYSTAL FOUNTAINS VIDEO SHOWCASE

Click 'play' to watch the current showcase video

New Products at Watershapes.com

RenoSys Introduces PolyGrate Pool Gratings

Construction Systems & Materials
Product information from Renosys on PolyGrate, a deck-grating system for commercial pool perimeters.

Dual-Voltage Variable-Speed Pump from Speck

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Speck Pumps on its Model ES90-II variable-speed pumps for swimming pools.

Water Odyssey Unveils Modular Play Feature

Other Watershape Systems & Equipment
Product information from Water Odyssey on Massive Splash, a modular play system for waterparks

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information on Sheer Rain, a rain-curtain fixture from Sheer Water Designs

Clearwater Tech Offers Compact Ozone System

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Clearwater Tech on the Microzone CD550 compact ozone generator for spas and small waterfeatures

Fountain Systems & Equipment
Product information from Campania International on its line of Avignon Fountain Kits

The Value in Sharing

WaterShapes World (blog)
The conclusion of two series -- one distinctly philosophical, the other quintessentially practical -- prompted Jim McCloskey to discuss how their value reaches beyond their basic topical categories. It also leads him to comment on the generosity that cha