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 Huntington Gardens, San Marino, Calif.
Photo courtesy Crystal Fountains, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Photo courtesy Hess Landscape Architects, Lansdale, Pa.
Photo courtesy Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pa.
Photo courtesy Aquatic Consultants, Miami, Fla.
Photo courtesy Liquify Pools & Spas, Overland Park, Kans.
Photo courtesy Green Scene Landscaping & Swimming Pools, Chatsworth, Calif.
Photo courtesy Premier Paradise, Phoenix, Ariz.

Teaming Perfection

Every great watershaping project involves a measure of design inspiration followed up by an equivalent measure of excellence in execution. In some cases, notes watershaper Brian Van Bower, a single entity or person drives both processes, but it’s increasingly common these days for superb projects to be the result of a team effort – a collaboration among architects, designers, contractors and subcontractors aligned in pursuit of a shared goal.

Every Piece in Place

Seven watershapes on three levels, each one as dramatic as the next? The concept alone is breathtaking, report Claude Kershner IV and Jeremy Guillen, who say a great design and a superb project team ...

Koi Selection ABCs

With many of his clients, Eric Triplett has observed that picking Koi for a new pond is an oddly overwhelming task. That's why he recommends keeping it simple, using a systematic approach that he and...

Sliding into Backyard Waterparks

With backyard waterparks on many consumers' minds these days, writes Kathryn Varden, slides of all types are under consideration. Here's a look at what's joining in the fun.

Split-Level Pond

Setting up a vanishing-edge Koi pond offers unusual challenges to the watershaper. First, notes Scott Cohen, you need to accommodate the fish and keep them safe. Then there are the aesthetic issues -...

Critical Distance

Presented with a smallish space that opened out onto a great big one, Jeromey Naugle found himself playing with views near and far in all sorts of complex ways. The result is a composition that met h...

Seeding Concrete Slabs

The choice of materials to use in the decorative seeding of concrete slabs has expanded greatly, and the technique offers considerable cost savings compared to adding decorative aggregate to the mix b...

Native Vision

The watershapes for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian came with a high-minded design mission as well as a significant set of technical challenges. Here, design-team member Dominic Shaw surveys the history of the project, discussing the many details that make the watercourse and wetland area surrounding the newest facility on the Capitol Mall a fitting tribute to those the facility seeks to honor. (Photo by David Lloyd, courtesy EDAW, San Francisco)

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.

A Slithering Treat

Ever since its water first flowed in 1971, the Vaillancourt Fountain in San Francisco has been controversial and subject to periodic calls for demolition. So see it while you can, says Jim McCloskey...

Witnessing Transitions

There are no shortcuts, wrote Brian Van Bower in September 2007: Watershapers who profess their dedication to quality must back up those declarations with top-notch performance in all of their project...

Finding Fitness

Ever take a close look at swimming? 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 a...

CRYSTAL FOUNTAINS VIDEO SHOWCASE

Click 'play' to watch the current showcase video

New Products at Watershapes.com

Fox Pool Offers Drop-In Spas

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Fox Pool Corp. on its PoolMate line of pre-plumbed, fully engineered drop-in spas for use in pool environments

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from AquaCal about upgrades for its HeatWave SuperQuiet heat pumps for pool applications.

Fountain Systems & Equipment
Product information from Stone Forest on its ribbed-granite sphere fountains

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Pentair Commercial Aquatics on its Acu Drive XS variable frequency drives for pool pumps

Fountain Supply Co. Offers Water-Level Controller

Fountain Systems & Equipment
Link to product information from Fountain Supply Co. on its electronic water-level controller

RenoSys Manufacturers Pads for Slide Bases

Other Watershape Systems & Equipment
Product information from RenoSys on its SoftSide line of pads for safety around ladders and other deck features

WaterShapes World (blog)
Sorting through his understanding of the dynamics of water-related businesses, Jim McCloskey recalls the industry's last big generational transition -- and holds out some hope that the one we're experiencing now will take a somewhat easier path than the previous one.