THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS
October 5, 2016 www.watershapes.com
FEATURE ARTICLE
Slices of Heaven
Working at a distance is nothing new for Brian Van Bower, whose projects frequently carry him across the globe. But this one on a beach in Sri Lanka tested his limits, both in the scope and scale of the project and in the fact that it was all done without him ever visiting the site! [more]
POND Q & A
Luxury Liners
What determines a pond professional’s choice among available liner materials? That’s a great question, writes Eric Triplett — one he addresses in detail in the latest installment of his ask-the-expert series on pond philosophy, technology and techniques. [more]
CONCRETE PERCEPTIONS
Shotcrete Rising
In the final installment of their series on the history and development of the shotcrete method of concrete application, William Drakeley and Lily Samuels examine the industry’s current state of the art — then cast an optimistic eye toward the approach’s future. [more]
ESSENTIAL
Swimming to Wellness
Most people know that swimming is a great form of exercise, but far fewer seem aware that getting in the water can mean the difference between a life of disability and one of well being for those who live with chronic injuries and illnesses. In this special feature, Barbara Goldstein describes how a daily swimming regimen has enabled her to stay fit and able in mind, body and spirit while keeping symptoms of three serious medical conditions at bay.
This article, originally published in WaterShapes in January 2008, has been digitized for all readers. Click here to see the full text and enlarge the images to study them in detail.
TRAVELOGUE
Cutting Edges
The pools at St. Lucia’s Jade Mountain are among the most ambitious watershapes ever attempted: In all, the project encompasses 26 interwoven vanishing-edge vessels, each one unique — and every one worth seeing, says Skip Phillips, if you have the chance to visit. [more]
WATERSHAPES WORLD
A Mighty Chorus
A recent article appearing on an outdoorsy web site captured the spirit behind what Jim McCloskey calls the ‘river-pool movement.’ He’s beyond happy to confirm that he is definitely not alone in seeing this campaign’s potential to change urban waterfronts forever. [more]
WE BROWSE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO . . .
History Lessons Dept.: It took some skateboarders to find the first-ever kidney-shaped pool — in Finland! [more]
It beat Thomas Church’s and seems to have inspired him.
Art Projects Dept.: Muralist turns a plain parking garage into an amazing display of hydrological power. [more]
It’d be nice if this inspired similar efforts, well, everywhere.
WATERSHAPES CLASSIC
Working in Color
Stephanie Rose called for disciplined thinking in her column from October 2006, urging designers to integrate the way they think about a key visual component to make clients happy, satisfied and proud. [more]
THE SHOPPING CART
AlkorPlan Swimming Pool Linings from Natare
Natare (Indianapolis, IN) offers AlkorPlan, a durable, watertight pool lining system that is easily installed and works both with renovations and new construction. The decorative, tear-resistant material can be installed over any type of substrate with minimal surface preparation, adapts to all shapes and pool configurations and won’t crack, peel or chip. For details, click here.
Mill Stone Fountain Kits from Aqua Bella
Aqua Bella (Saginaw, MI) offers Swirl Style mill-stone fountains. Designed to bring a touch of history to any setting, each kit comes complete with a fountain basin, a pump, tubing, plumbing and polished pebbles. The mill stones, available in three diameters from 18 to 36 inches, are paired with pumps ranging in flow from 370 to 660 gallons per minute. For details, click here.
WPN UPDATE
Getting Ready
The WaterShapes Professional Network will be on hand in New Orleans from November 2-4 at the International Pool|Spa|Patio Expo. Please do stop by Booth 563 — right in the heart of the Genesis Pavilion — to learn more about the Network and discuss its future plans.
Participants in the program have shared their listings with thousands of our site visitors in the past year — and those visits have resulted in significant traffic from the Network to the listed companies’ own web sites. It’s a marvelous marketing opportunity — ‘consumer-friendly’ in the richest sense of the term.
The Network is working just the way we’d hoped: Time to click aboard?
