2012/11.2, November 21 — Rippling Glass, Backyard Battles, Rainwater Harvesting and more

The relationship between glass and water can be a powerful one, says John Gilbert Luebtow, a modernist sculptor who uses water to spectacular effect in some of his work. Here, he explores the nature of that relationship while describing three major projects in which the ‘visual dance’ between water and glass is expressed in multi-dimensional shapes and sweeping, organic lines.

This article, originally published in January/February 2001, has been digitized for all readers. Once you click ‘more’ on the next screen, you can zoom in on images to study the craftsmanship in detail. [continue]

As the design process begins, writes Scott Cohen, he’s ready for the fact that men and women quite often have conflicting ideas about what they want by way of backyard features and amenities. Here, in the first of two articles on the subject, he takes a look at common points of contention. [more]

It wasn’t all that long agothat rainwater harvesting was a brand-new idea. In a pair of videos, Mike Gannon hearkens back no further than 2008, when he and other pond specialists teamed up with the staff of Aquascape to install the company’s very first system in a Georgia backyard. [more]

Maybe it’s the approach of the holiday season, but for whatever reason Jim McCloskey has noticed increased traffic in press releases carrying what can only be described as very good and encouraging news. Are these indications of a fresh direction for thewatershaping industry? [more]

From the start of all of his projects, wrote Bruce Zaretsky in 2007, he has ideas about one key project feature in mind. Five important years later, is it now an up-front consideration for you, too? [more]

1. A number of U.S. cities are expected to vie for the right to hold the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in 2016. What American city held the trials before the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games?

a. San Diego b. Miami c. Omaha d. Atlanta

2. Officials in Gelnhausen, Germany have banned swimmers from performing every stroke except one, claiming that most swim strokes create too many waves – and that, they say, could endanger other swimmers and waste water. What is the one stroke they’re permitting?

a. Breaststroke b. Backstroke c. Sidestroke d. Dog paddle

3. David Graham, a 75-year-old retired Canadian billionaire and former cable TV mogul, wants to dig under his London mansion (estimated worth: $143 million) to install, among other things, a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna and massage room. How many subterranean levels does his plan – which has raised the ire of his neighbors – call for?

a. Three b. Four c. Five d. Six