How to Frame a Beautiful View
While homeowners with views almost always want to make the most of their settings, many don’t fully understand how best to go about it, explains Scott Cohen. Capturing a beautiful vista does not always mean leaving it undressed and undisrupted. Here he describes how framing and even partially concealing a scene can lend context, function and beauty. ...
Water Odyssey Introduces New Dinosaur-Themed Spray Features
Water Odyssey introduces a new dinosaur-themed line of spray features for splash pads and spray parks. The new Dinosaur Fun Forms collection features the Dino Cera, Dino Lil Raptor, and Dino Diplo themed sprayers that deliver dynamic spray effects that encourage splashing, exploring and imaginative aquatic play. Using a simple connection and anchoring system, it’s easy to update and transform any facility into a prehistoric, immersive aquatic play environment. The features are coated with Aqua Armor, the most durable chlorine, UV, and vandal-resistant coating in the industry, the company says. They are ASTM compliant, interchangeable with other Fun Forms spray features, made in the USA with custom designs available. Learn more here.
Precision as a Competitive Advantage
Installation discipline Is redefining pool renovation, says commercial pool specialist, Zack Tanner. Here he pulls back the curtain on his approach to renovating large watershape environments using discipline, innovation and common sense. ...
Projecting Elegance
Watershape design should respond to the setting and the clients, rather than preconceived ideas, explains Alison Felschow. In this project, that belief system led to a design that was a far departure from the simple rectangles other builders had offered.  ...
Stone Reimagined
The use of stone in and around pools, spas, and other bodies of water has a long and rocky history, points out Mike Farley. It’s also one of those design elements that moves in and out of fashion with surprising regularity. ...
Seeds of Purpose
At age 29, Marcus Hampton has been running his own custom home and watershaping design and build firm for eight years. And, as he explains in this discussion about the industry’s new generation of aspiring professionals, in many ways, he and his contemporaries are just getting started. ...
Creating Hoover Dam
Few structures in American history embody the scale of ambition, engineering prowess, and transformative impact as Hoover Dam. Rising from Black Canyon on the Colorado River, southeast of Las Vegas, its massive concrete arc, once the tallest and heaviest dam in the world, stands as both a monumental physical achievement and a symbol of the nation's ability to turn bold ideas into lasting progress. ...
From Asphalt to Activation
Urban parks are increasingly being asked to do more than provide green space. They’re expected to restore ecology, reflect local culture, invite participation, and serve as social condensers for entire communities. Gatton Park on the Town Branch in Lexington, KY, is a strong example of how water—when thoughtfully designed and carefully engineered—can do all of that at once. ...
Snowing on Demand
The ability to make snow on demand effectively transforms the winter-recreation industry in areas where snowfall is scarce, inconsistent or even non-existent. Simple in concept, spraying atomized water under the right conditions can transform a barren slope into a skier's paradise. ...
An Arizona Town’s First Splash Pad
As more and more cities and commercial properties recognize how themed aquatic play and inclusive design encourage interactive fun, one Arizona municipality has invested in a creative and efficient splash pad to help residents stay cool and have fun in the heat. ...