2013/5.2, May 22 — Cantilevered Beauty, Dispelling a Water-Treatment Myth, Chicago’s Signature Fountain and more

May 22, 2013 www.watershapes.com

ESSENTIAL

Transparent Ambition

Ben Dozier takes pride in his company’s ability to work with all the details of complex and unusual design programs. A case in point is the project described here, in which he and the team at Root Design Company joined forces with an architect, various engineers, subcontractors and suppliers, plus a self-identified ‘eccentric’ client, to bring an acrylic-paneled, cantilevered lap pool to fruition high up on a slope overlooking a lake.

This article, originally published in July 2011, has been digitized for all readers. Click here to see the full text and enlarge the images to study the craftsmanship in detail.

FEATURE ARTICLE

Exploring the ‘Acid Column’

Pool service professionals and pool owners who believe that the way acid is added to a pool can differentially affect pH and alkalinity are simply wrong, observes Kim Skinner — and here’s a detailed look at the science and a simple demonstration that backs him up. [more]

VIDEO GALLERY

How Deep?

Long a believer in using videos as teaching tools with his clients, Lew Akins has explored lots of details and concepts prospective pool owners should consider — including, in this case, the functional factors involved in determining the depth of a swimming pool. [more]

WATERSHAPES WORLD

A Little Respect

Sharing an unusually sharp sense of joy and wonder, Jim McCloskey comments in his latest blog on two major events — one on the personal side, the other on the professional — that have put a spring in his step and made him distinctly hopeful about the future. [more]

PLATINUM REFLECTIONS

Poetry in Stone

Working with water and stone, Richard Hansen explores what he calls ‘poetic dialogues’ between nature and humanity, permanence and ephemera, distance and intimacy. But beyond that, he’s a hands-on artisan who enjoys the sound that stone makes when it splits. [more]

TRAVELOGUE

Big-Shouldered Fountain

Commissioned in 1927, Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain is a national treasure in pink Georgia marble, says Jim McCloskey. It’s a Versailles-inspired must-see for anyone interested in historic watershapes and epic water-and-light shows on warm summer evenings. [more]

WHAT’S NEW?

Now at WaterShapes.com . . .

For those who enjoy browsing through the archives of WaterShapes‘ print editions, we’ve just made finding things easier by updating and completing the Author and Topic Indexes to include all 131 of the issues published from 1999-2011. Click here to check it out!

For stress relief and more . . .

Kate Middleton Swims Her

Way Toward the Royal Birth

[more]

WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

We Can Do Better

Back in May 2003, Brian Van Bower went off on a behavior that particularly bothered him in some of his industry colleagues — and pointed out that there were (and still are!) simple ways to get things right. [more]

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Right-Wing French Politician

Injured in Freak Pool Accident

Many water-related stories have been in the news of late – including reports connected to the three questions below.

1. Right-wing French politician Marine Le Pen, head of the Front National party, was injured in a freak swimming pool accident. What happened?

a. She slipped on a wet pool deck and broke her right leg.
b. A diving board above her head snapped and gave her a concussion.
c. She fell into an empty swimming pool and fractured her sacrum.
d. She received a strong electric shock when a TV tipped over into the pool.

2. In a wonderful collection of photographs of oddball, vintage inventions on the British Web site dailymail.co.uk, there is one image of women wearing wooden swimsuits that supposedly made it easier for them to stay afloat. In what country did wooden swimsuits enjoy 15 minutes of wet fame back in 1929?

a. USA b. Holland c. Belgium d. Italy

3. An obsessed fan unsuccessfully attempted to swim in the Atlantic Ocean to the Rhode Island beachfront property of a certain country music singing star. The 22-year-old man was arrested by police for trespassing. Which singing star was it?

a. Carrie Underwood b. Kellie Pickler c. Sara Evans d. Taylor Swift

To find out how many you got right, click here.