Commentaries, Interviews & Profiles
'The Harvard Business Review recently published results of an interesting survey: Overall, they said, some 75 percent of those contacted reported diminishing trust in U.S. business managers and their companies; moreover,' added Brian Van Bower in starting his Aqua Culture column in WaterShapes' January 2010 issue, 'their faith in educational institutions, product suppliers and government is on the decline as well.' 'It all seems gloomy and pessimistic, but I couldn't be
In August 1999, more than 30 professionals gathered at a small college in Southeastern Ohio to talk about water and absorb the rudiments of a collective "Philosophy of Design." In attendance were Rick Anderson and Richard Dubé of the Whispering Crane Institute and the Genesis 3 team, including Skip Phillips, Brian Van Bower and David Tisherman - all of them anxious to engage in a roundtable discussion about shared
In August 1999, more than 30 professionals gathered at a small college in Southeastern Ohio to talk about water and absorb the rudiments of a collective "Philosophy of Design." Organized by The Whispering Crane Institute, the conference was as much about attitude as it was about the practicalities of designing with water. In attendance were Rick Anderson and Richard Dubé of the Whispering Crane Institute and the Genesis 3 team of Skip Phillips, Brian Van Bower and
'In my capacity as landscape consultant to a town near where I live,' wrote Bruce Zaretsky to open his On the Level column for September 2009, 'I was approached . . . by a landscape architect who was just starting her career after graduating from a prestigious, five-year landscape architecture program. 'She was designing a butterfly garden, she said, and wanted to know
'One of the longest-standing knocks against the pool and spa industry is that too many designers and builders rely too heavily on convention and seem disinclined to pursue new paths and ideas no matter how compelling they might be.' That was the resounding note with which Mark Holden opened his Currents column in April 2009. He continued: 'All too often, pool and spa professionals tend to keep on specifying and installing equipment they've used for years - even if it's
Our human attraction to water is well documented, observes Lauren Stack, but none of us are automatically comfortable around it, nor do we often learn to swim without access to lessons. That's a pair of issues this article addresses while pointing toward a compelling aquatic future.
‘Those of us in the design and construction industry are engaged in a singularly complicated human endeavor. To make things work,’ noted architect Greg Danskin in a March 2008 WaterShapes feature article, ‘it’s common for many technical disciplines to come together, including soils and structural engineers and contractors and subcontractors as well as architects, interior designers, landscape architects, lighting designers and watershapers – all working in concert to bring form to the goals and aspirations of the clients. ‘These professionals unite in designing spaces that
To gain a larger perspective on what tomorrow holds for our planet and our watershapes, writes James Robyn, start by looking beyond our day-to-day lives to see what history, science and astronomy can tell us -- then consider what it'll take to ensure a long, safe, prosperous future.
‘I’ve written several times in the past about the fact that more and more landscape architects and designers are getting into watershaping. As evidence,’ wrote Brian Van Bower in his Aqua Culture column for December 2007, ‘all you need to do is look at design-award competitions in the pool and spa industry and note the increasing
Global Watershaping