Aquatic Culture | Watershapes

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Photo courtesy Questar Pools & Spas, Escondido, Calif.
Photo courtesy H2Oarts, Santa Paula, Calif.
Photo courtesy Hess Landscape Architects, Lansdale, Pa.
Photo courtesy Design Ecology, Austin, Texas
Photo courtesy Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pa.
Photo courtesy Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif.
Photo courtesy Rock Solid Tile, Calabasas, Calif.
Photo courtesy Hughes Water Gardens, Wilsonville, Ore.

The Subtlest Flows

In his work as a landscape artist and custom watershaper, Robert Nonemaker often uses rills – small channels that simply and gracefully move water from one place to another – to bring interesting rhythms and harmonies to his garden spaces. Although these features tend to be less than assertive, he notes, the way water moves through their narrow slots can do wonders when it comes to adding depth and detail to watershape designs.

The Gradual Renovation

It was a most unusual remodeling project, notes Carla Sovernigo. Partly it had to do with its scale and complexity, but mostly it was because it took three full years to finalize the design and then another whole year to align every last detail with the clients' highly refined ambitions.

From Idea to Action

Ushering a full-featured backyard design through to final form can be complicated, observes Kurt Kraisinger. That's why, as he writes in the third article in this four-part series, he guides his clients through an interactive process he credits with smoothing the pathway to success.

#34: Synthetic Grass

Beyond all of the improvements the product has seen in recent years with respect to quality and appearance, Mike Farley notes in this brief video on the subject that there are other reasons he's choosing artificial turf for more and more of his clients in a widening array of projects.

Add a Spa, Save a Home

It didn't take long for Paolo Benedetti to notice that his prospective client's house was giving way on a slowly collapsing hill. Armed with a fresh soils report, he designed a spa and stone deck that halted the slope's creeping -- and the homeowner's worries as well.

Iridescent Perfection

When the goal is glass-tiled perfection, says Jimmy Reed, there's no substitute for the hard work that goes into ideal surface preparation. And that's especially true when, as in the case highlighted here, the project involves resurfacing an old, deep pool and its odd set of coves.

Burying Masterpieces

With watershapes, observes Jim Wilder, the beauty often often runs much more than skin deep. To illustrate, he discusses twin works of the plumber's art -- with, by his calculation, more than 750 glue joints each -- that he knew would ultimately be hidden within tons of concrete.

Winds of Life

Successful public art serves many purposes, observes glass sculptor John Gilbert Luebtow: Through form, location, materials and aesthetics, these works can inspire, soothe, excite, guide and enrich the day-to-day experiences of those who see them. True to this vision, he pursued all of those qualities in a recent project – one in which he graced a busy plaza with a sublime sculpture that will elevate the spirits of passersby for generations to come.

Considering an Option

Most suction-entrapment accidents occur when someone gets caught on a watershape drain that has somehow been compromised. This fact prompted Ray Cronise, a former NASA scientist and current pool company executive, to take a scientific approach and use sophisticated computer software to see what was really going on. His surprising conclusion: For proper circulation, watershapes don’t need the drains that seem to be the focus of the problem.

The Designer's Environment

Back in 2004, David Tisherman devoted one of the most passionate of all his Details column to taking us all on a tour of a special space that facilitates his work as a watershape designer.

Tale of the Tortoise

While visiting Rome many years ago, Jim McCloskey saw a fountain that seemed familiar -- and before long he remembered seeing the same oddly placed tortoises in a park in San Francisco. Either fountain merits a visit -- even without the special déjà vu moment.

Modern Landscapes for Living

In his review of Garret Eckbo: Modern Landscapes for Living by Marc Treib and Dorothy Imbert, WaterShapes’ Mike Farley observes that, ‘Eckbo was responsible for some of the grandest public spaces in the United States. He was…an innovator in residential garden and pool design who put his stamp on just about every basic pool form we use today.’

CRYSTAL FOUNTAINS VIDEO SHOWCASE

Click 'play' to watch the current showcase video

New Products at Watershapes.com

Bobé Offers Metallic Box Scuppers

Other Watershape Systems & Equipment
Product information from Bobe Fire & Water on its metallic box scuppers for pool, spa and other watershape applications.

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from S.R. Smith on the Velocity VR starting blocks for applications in competition swimming pools.

RB Pool & Spa Offers Construction Software

Professional Watershaping
Product information from RB Pool & Spa on the availability of software for watershape job-costing/job-management functions.

Construction Systems & Materials
Product information from Meridian Tile on its modular barstool-top kits in a variety of patterns for in-pool applications.

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information from California Umbrella on updates for its classic Sun Master Series of umbrellas for backyard use.

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information from Belgard on its linear fire feature kits made with Weston Stone for use with natural gas or propane.

Back in Action

WaterShapes World (blog)
Soothing daily aches and pains has been Jim McCloskey's most ardent pursuit for the past five weeks -- more than enough time to renew his esteem for the value of a good soak in hot, bubbling water and think about making it a greater part of his health-maintenance routines.