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 Questar Pools & Spas, Escondido, Calif.
Photo courtesy H2Oarts, Santa Paula, Calif.
Photo courtesy Hess Landscape Architects, Lansdale, Pa.
Photo courtesy Design Ecology, Austin, Texas
Photo courtesy Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pa.
Photo courtesy Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif.
Photo courtesy Rock Solid Tile, Calabasas, Calif.
Photo courtesy Hughes Water Gardens, Wilsonville, Ore.

Flames On

Pyrotechnic-effects expert Karl Nettmann has been involved with creating dramatic flame effects for more than a dozen years, first for television and film productions and now in landscapes and other ‘real world’ spaces. Here, he discusses the range of effects that can be achieved using fire, the technology behind common systems and basic safety considerations that must be accommodated no matter the simplicity or complexity of an effect.

On the Waterfront

When the homeowner suddenly (and completely) changed his mind about this project's direction, it was easy to slide into a new groove, says Andrew Kaner, simply because the fresh start offered so many opportunities to transform the pool, deck and views fro

Moving a Mountain

Building this golf course wasn't a subtle process, notes Ken Alperstein. As he discusses in the first of a pair of articles on the project, they started by knocking over a South Korean mountain, then, after extensive contouring, began working on two heav

Crime-Scene Ponds

Most ponds are at the mercy of predators of one sort or another. In Mike Gannon's experience, however, there are two usual suspects he knows he can ignore -- and a whole class of offenders who can't seem to resist stopping by to feast on fishy treats.

Changing Spaces

Taking a chance with someone who wasn't yet his client, Skip Phillips sketched up an alternative to a proposed pool renovation and ended up completely transforming a large backyard space. It was suddenly a major project -- and then came a long list of ef

Remaking a Classic

Restoring the pool and adding a spa to a classic Mid-Century Modern home took care and restraint, observes Jimmy Reed, But his task was made easier by an insightful, cooperative client with excellent tastes, a eye for detail and a healthy spirit of adventure.

Beneath the Shell

It's been an honor to restore the Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle, writes Matthew Reynolds. But working under its shell posed multiple challenges, from cramped spaces and hard-to-track piping runs to the constant awareness they were tinkering with a precio

Grand Cascades

When Bill Goddard decided to change careers and move into watershaping and landscaping as a full-time pursuit, he dove right into the thick of things with a first project of immense scale and extraordinary visual drama. He discusses his bold introduction to the business here, profiling a project that encompasses a pair of huge waterfalls, extensive landscaping and lighting, hundreds of tons of stone and even a miniature town.

An Artisan's Touch

The watershapes, landscapes and artworks created by John Cohen are among the most fearless and wildly creative to be found anywhere. By combining stone, sculptures, crystals, water and lighting with a host of inventive details, he weaves compositions that balance his own vision with the desires of his clients – as seen in this feature, where he shares a major project and explores the confluence of craft and art required to execute such ambitious designs.

Proportional Response

Watershape designs can easily get out of hand, wrote Brian Van Bower back in September 2003, but he hoped through this column to persuade watershapers to step back and avoid getting carried away.

New York's Heart

When he's in New York City, Jim McCloskey has long made a point of visiting the Prometheus Fountain at Rockefeller Plaza -- a great space in a teeming metropolis.

Structured Thinking

It might sound a bit strange to put it this way, begins Mike Farley, but when it comes to design work, one of the most useful things you can do is to think about how you think about design.

CRYSTAL FOUNTAINS VIDEO SHOWCASE

Click 'play' to watch the current showcase video

New Products at Watershapes.com

Paramount Offers Telescoping Water Effects

Fountain Systems & Equipment
Product information from Paramount Pool & Spa Systems on Parascope, a telescoping waterfeatures for pools and spas.

Pond/Stream Systems & Equipment
Product information from EasyPro Pond Products on the PFF90BL filter systems for fish ponds with up to 9,000-gallon capacities.

Speck Offers Special Pump for Waterfeatures

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Speck Pumps on the Model 21-80/30G, a pump to feed special features such as vanishing edges.

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information from Grand Effects on its basalt-style water-and-fire features in three sizes.

Landscape/Hardscape Materials & Equipment
Product information from D&D Technologies on MagnaLatch Alert, a top-pull, keyed safety latch for gates around pools and spas.

Construction Systems & Materials
Product information from Abatron on Tread Spread, an epoxy coating for slip resistance in wet or dry conditions.

Hurtful Impulses

WaterShapes World (blog)
It's both depressing and discouraging, writes Jim McCloskey, to see news stories about intolerance. It's even worse, he adds, when it's related to the use of swimming pools that serve so wonderfully in bringing people together in the common cause of havi