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2016/2.2, February 17 — Beach Entries, Fountain Fun, Shotcrete’s Path and more
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2016/2.2, February 17 — Beach Entries, Fountain Fun, Shotcrete’s Path and more

THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS
February 17, 2016 www.watershapes.com


CONCRETE PERCEPTIONS
Shotcrete Reborn
When its originators surrendered control of the shotcrete process in the 1950s, the approach fell on hard times. As Lily Samuels and Bill Drakeley discuss here, however, it has since recovered and has resumed its rightful place among the world’s key construction technologies. [more]


WHAT IS IT?


#22: Flagstone Beach Entry

As Mike Farley discusses in his video, this is a sleek, modern, beautiful look that works especially well when a pool is surrounded by stone decking. And beach entries can be trouble-free, too — so long as you consider a key point before adding one to a client’s dreamscape. [more]

TRAVELOGUE

Water with a Side of Satire

Even a modest watershape grows in stature when it has a great story — a lesson Jim McCloskey learned in researching a small fountain he’d seen in Rome many years ago. In this case, it seems, the font was an outlet for more than fresh, cool water in days long past. [more]


ESSENTIAL

Beyond Vision

Creating a garden space for the sight-impaired and physically handicapped presented landscape designer Bruce Zaretsky with a meaningful challenge — one that, he says, prompted him to rethink some of the fundamentals of garden layout and aesthetics. The first fruit of his new thinking is this space, in which the serenity and delight of relaxing in a garden space is opened to a wider range of visitors than most designers ever have cause to consider.

This article, originally published in WaterShapes in May 2003, has been digitized for all readers. Click here to see the full text and enlarge the images to study the craftsmanship in detail.


TECHNICAL BRIEFING

Cold Joints, Costly Repairs

In pool-remodeling work, observes Scott Cohen, it’s very common to raise a bond beam to meet the needs of a new deck or edge detail — or simply to make the pool ‘level’ again. As ordinary a step as this may seem, however, it can be trickier than you might think.. [more]

WATERSHAPES WORLD

Swimming Past Barriers

Swimming is a valuable skill, but there seem to be substantial barriers to gaining it these days. This leads Jim McCloskey to ask: Taken together, are these hurdles high enough that they are defining the future of watershaping in a less-than-favorable way? [more]

WE BROWSE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO . . .

It Takes a Blizzard Dept.: Heavy snow leads to an upswing in participation in an odd winter sport. [more]

These kids have the finesse, but where’s the technique?

No, Really Dept.: In this surging snowbound event, it’s clear that the frosty Finns have the advantage. [more]

Scroll down to see real ‘professionals’ ply their craft.


WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

Drains with a Difference
As he discussed in this Details column from early 2001, David Tisherman isn’t about compromise when it comes to making this key part of his projects visually seamless. Check it out by clicking here.

THE SHOPPING CART
Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems Releases 2016 Catalog

Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems (Apopka, FL) has published its 2016 Master Catalog. With more than 300 new items, the 516-page, full-color document is available in both printed and digital formats and covers the divison’s full line of products for ponds, aquaponics and all aquatic systems designed to keep fish and other wildlife safe and healthy. For details, click here.

Diamond Spas Manufactures Glass Walls for Pools, Spas

Diamond Spas (Frederick, CO) makes glass-wall systems for use with swimming pools and spas. Featuring superior-clarity glass that allows for easy two-way viewing, the panels are available in a range of sizes — from small spa dams and underwater windows to large room-dividing units — all compatible with the company’s line of stainless steel watershapes. For details, click here.

WPN UPDATE

Membership
Report 2015

The turn of the year marked the first six months of existence for the WaterShapes Professional Network, which launched and grew steadily to a point where the member count reached 50 by the end of December. It’s a diverse group, with 36 involved with pools and spas, 33 with fountains, 30 with ponds, streams and waterfalls, 26 with landscape, plants and hardscape and 19 working with fire, fog and lighting.

That’s a wide-ranging group of businesses with a full spectrum of skills, as you can see by clicking here. It’s just the sort of founding membership WPN needs to make consumers happy with what they find when their searches lead them to our site.

The Network is growing: Time to climb aboard?

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