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 J. BROWNLEE DESIGN, NASHVILLE, TENN.
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.

A Private Paradise, Revisited

It's not often that a designer gets to return to a past project and update it for new owners. But that was the opportunity Raymond Jungles was offered with this property -- a Mid-Century Modern showplace in the Florida Keys.

Patient Perfection

While true perfection is an elusive goal, Grant Smith believes in pursuing it by exceeding engineering and construction standards and paying attention to fine aesthetic details. And as he reports here, sometimes he ends up chasing it for clients who like to change their minds.

Pathways to Efficiency

Creating swimming pools that save on energy costs is a consuming passion for Douglas Cook. As he explains here, he achieves best results with combinations of energy-smart solutions -- often including solar heating and power generation -- that can lead to dramatic savings.

The Shaq Pond

Installing a pond for basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal was a personal thrill, notes Greg Wittstock. But even if he and the all-star project team were a little bit starstruck, they stayed focused and approached the work as an expression of aquatic art at the highest level.

Rising High: Part 1

When you work high above the ground, you have to see things from different angles, say high-rise specialists Mark and Zachary Trapani. The rigors and complexity of working with elevated watershape installations requires careful investigation and problem solving at every turn.

A Perfect Coda

The conclusion of the pond installation process offers moments to create lasting client impressions. As Dave Garton points in this concluding part of his series on client relations, it’s a critical juncture where all of the physical work and expectation management come together in a final crescendo of creativity and attention to detail.

Demise of the Water Hazard

Through the past 15 years, golf-course designs have embraced a distinctly minimalist approach. It's a response, writes Ken Alperstein, to the fact that the number of courses being built has shrunk dramatically -- and that attitudes about water use are changing profoundly.

Designs on Edge

From standard coping and cantilevered decks to boulders and plants and rock veneers, watershapers are using an ever-broadening palette of edge treatments to accentuate and refine their designs. In this photo-essay, veteran landscape architect Peter White

Solid Solutions

As part of their work in crafting custom pools for high-end clients in the Washington, D.C., area, Bill Bennett and Walt Williams are often called on to find creative solutions to substantial design challenges. For two recent indoor projects, for example, both clients wanted to be able to transform their indoor pool areas into dry spaces suitable for large gatherings – but they wanted to do it without resorting to either automatic solid covers or moveable floors.

Worst Expressions

In his hunt for watershapes worth visiting, Jim McCloskey has never had occasion to discuss one that is so unremarkable that he advises you to stay away. He breaks with that practice this time, however, highlighting a fountain so bland that it gives 'lackluster' a bad name.

Art of the Ornament

The finer points of garden ornamentation. 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

Hayward Manufactures Waterproof Remotes

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Hayward Pool Products about AquaPod, a floating, waterproof control unit for pools and spas.

Other Watershape Systems & Equipment
Product information from Pentair in its ColorVision Bubbler, an LED unit that produces fountain-like water movement in watershapes.

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information from Living Canopies on its live-plant umbrella/shade systems for outdoor applications.

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information from Hudson Aquatic on its AquaGaiter in-pool treadmills for aquatic rehab or conditioning.

Ornate Gardens Offers Unique Rotating Pods

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information from Ornate Gardens on Rotating Pods, an enclosed, self-contained seating system for outdoor applications.

Fountain Systems & Equipment
Product information from A&A Manufacturing on its LivingWaters fixtures to bring dancing-water effects to watershapes.

A Cautionary Note

WaterShapes World (blog)
A surge in pool sales is a beautiful thing, observes Eric Herman. But with this groundswell of popularity, it's more important than ever to educate homeowners -- especially those with young children or grandchildren -- to be mindful of the value of safety and drowning prevention.