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THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS
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| January 21, 2015 www.watershapes.com |
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LESSONS LEARNED
Overbearing Rockwork
A swimming pool is made of steel-reinforced concrete, right? So the shell will be fine if you pile lots of weight on top of it, right? Wrong, Scott Cohen says emphatically — and here he explains why no sensible builder should ever make such a potentially disastrous mistake. [more]
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 RIBBIT
When a frog pond is complete and its new occupants have been carefully introduced to the water, Eric Triplett feels pride in what he’s accomplished — and, as this video relates, leaves the homeowners with detailed instructions on how to care for their emerging ecosystem. [more]
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TRAVELOGUE
Gliding Step by Step
It’s really a cool fountain that turns a long escalator ride into a pleasure, writes Jim McCloskey. But what makes it even better is the unbounded enthusiasm of the gent who shot a wondrous video of the scene as he rode between the levels of Chicago’s Water Tower Place. [more]
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ESSENTIAL
Healthful Waters
When fountain designer/engineer Aviram Müller considers a future he believes will be dominated by environmental consciousness, he’s elated to contemplate the role watershapers will play in efficiently using water and energy in architectural and landscape settings. It’s a delight he shares here by outlining a new reality in which watershapes are seamlessly integrated into built environments where conservation is a driving, necessary priority.
This article, originally published in October 2009, has been digitized for all readers. Click here to see the full text and enlarge the images to study his thought processes in detail.
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TECHNICAL BRIEFING
Expansive Tendencies
Paolo Benedetti often provides his clients’ watershapes with unusual custom details — a practice that’s led him to develop numerous ways to get these jobs done without making aesthetic sacrifices. Here, for example, he works magic in hiding isolation and crack-control joints. [more]
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WE BROWSE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO . . .
Really Creepy Dept.: Male U.S. senators bar female senators from a pool so they can do what? [more]
It’s worse than a towel-snapping party, believe me.
Visions of Beauty: Winter weather creates a feast of frozen fountains — often in unexpected places. [more]
It’s not fun being cold, but this is some compensation.
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WATERSHAPES CLASSIC
The Company You Keep
Ten year ago, Brian Van Bower wrote eloquently about what it took (and still takes) to navigate the toughest cluster of decisions many business owners ever have to make. [more]
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WATERSHAPES WORLD
Swimming in It
A recent Purdue study indicates that all sorts of personal-care products and pharmaceuticals manage to find their ways into swimming pool water — information that makes Jim McCloskey glad he installed one of these in his backyard many summers ago. [more]
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Hayward Unveils the HydroRite UVO3 Disinfecting System
Hayward Pool Products (Elizabeth, NJ) has introduced HydroRite UVO3, an NSF-certified supplemental disinfectant system. Designed for both commercial and residential applications, the all-in-one UV/ozone units inactivate more than 99.9 percent of harmful chlorine-resistant microorganisms while also reducing chlorine consumption. For details, click here. Transparent Polymer Fencing from Clear Fence Solutions
Clear Fence Solutions (Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada) offers see-through fencing for installation on decks and around swimming pools. Designed with safety, aesthetics and affordability in mind, the modular system features a lightweight, transparent, impact-resistant polymer formulation mounted using a swivel system to achieve any desired angle. For details, click here.
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THE AQUATIC QUIZ
Which Oscar-Nominated Movie
Left Out the Swimming Angle?
Many water-related stories have been in the news of late — including reports connected to the three questions below.
1. Which 2015 Oscar-contending movie (with five nominations in all) has been criticized for leaving out the important role competitive swimming played in the real-life story? (Source: swimmingworldmagazine.com)
a. “Foxcatcher” b. “American Sniper”
c. “The Imitation Game” d. “The Theory of Everything”
2. An online Speedo video ad features an elderly, retired gentleman — Jurgen Schmidt of Huntington Beach, Calif. — swimming laps in a local pool. Masters-level swimming has been a big part of his daily regimen for decades. How old, according to usatoday.com, will Schmidt be on his birthday in February 2015?
a. 72 b. 82 c. 92 d. 102.
3. A community pool in East Vancouver, B.C., is holding special swim sessions for a specific segment of the population (although everyone may participate). According to 660news.com, what segment is East Vancouver trying to make feel welcome?
a. Transgender individuals b. Moslem women
c. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women d. Blind people.
To find out how many you got right, click here.”
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