2011/2.2, February 23 — Green Building, Tuning Water’s Sounds, Japanese Gardens and more

February 23, 2011

WATERSHAPES.COM

FEATURE ARTICLE

The New Green Building Code

Concrete expert William D. Palmer Jr. believes that the recent adoption of the International Green Construction Code by the state of Rhode Island is just ‘the tip of a big green iceberg toward which your company’s ship is sailing at full speed.’ Palmer explains which of the code’s provisions are most likely to impact contractors. [more]

LESSONS LEARNED

Tuning the Sound of Falling Water

In the latest installment of his ongoing series, Scott Cohen recounts a project in which he created two stone waterfalls flanking a fireplace — resulting in a gorgeous visual image. ‘The problem was, the waterfeatures sounded like nothing so much a two giants relieving themselves into oversized toilets,’ Cohen recalls. And the solution? [more]

DID A UFO DRAIN A POOL IN
ARGENTINA WITHOUT LEAVING
EVEN A TRACE OF WATER? [more]

MY PERSPECTIVE

African-Americans and Swimming

A study has shown that 60 percent of African-American children don’t know how to swim — twice the rate for white children. Tragically, the rate at which black children drown is three times the rate for the population as a whole. What are the causes for this disparity and what is the remedy? [more]

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Could You Walk Across a Pool
Filled with Ping-Pong Balls?

That was the odd but intriguing question posed on the Web site PhysicsForums.com. To read the entire message posted by the inquisitive Matt and the answer that makes the most sense to WaterShapes EXTRA!, click here.

BOOK NOTES

Ten Landscapes: The View East

In his review of Ten Landscapes by Shunmyo Nasuno, Mike Farley observes that ‘…although I’m not given to making such sweeping statements, I am comfortable in saying that every watershaper should study the Japanese garden tradition.’ The book’s concepts, Farley asserts, ‘can easily be applied to projects in any number of styles and settings.’ [more]

LIGHTSTREAMS GLASS TILE

(Santa Clara, CA) offers the Shell Beach line of tile accents. The waving strands consist of random patterns and colors in various shapes and sizes — some unreleased otherwise to make each strand fresh and unique. All are mesh-mounted on 12-inch strips for ease of installation. Set end-to-end, they make visually arresting markers for pool steps, swim-shelves, lanes, spa benches and more. [more]

AQUAMATIC COVER SYSTEMS

(Gilroy, CA) offers an eight-page, full-color booklet on EZ Cover, which looks and moves like an automatic safety cover but does so manually without the hydraulic mechanism. Designed to open or close in about 70 seconds, the systems can be mounted in boxes above or hidden below deck level and can be converted to automatic operation at any point after installation. [more]

PENTAIR WATER COMMERCIAL POOL & AQUATICS

(Sanford, NC) offers the StarGuard line of main drains, grates and frames for commercial pool applications. Designed for compliance with the ASME/ANSI standards and provisions of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act, the units are available in white and black in four sizes at nine, 12, 18 and 24 inches squared. [more]

BIONOVA NATURAL POOLS

(Hackettstown, NJ) offers literature on the installation of natural swimming pools in public settings. The four-page, full-color brochure defines how these watershapes mimic the proven natural processes that keep wetland waters clean — and do so with a smaller carbon footprint, no chemical usage, less maintenance and lower operating costs than conventional public pools. [more]

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