Finishing for a Friend
Departed watershaper, Grant Smith, left behind a legacy of excellence, integrity and service. Following his untimely death in 2021, a group of his colleagues and friends from Watershape University stepped up to complete a number of his unfinished projects, all of which came to successful resolution and lived up to the high standards he stood for. ...
Seaweed, Plastics Create Pathogen Storm
While reports of this year’s gigantic seaweed blob have stoked interest for its novel size and odiferous nuisance, a new report defines a relationship between seaweed and microplastic waste that engenders a deadly bacteria, posing a possibly devasting threat to sea life and people. ...
Planting Design with Style
One of the lingering ironies of designing planted areas is that although plants are arguably the most impactful of all landscape elements, they are also often left as an afterthought. Mark David Levine, argues elevating softscape starts with understanding planting design style.   ...
The Two-Ocean Stream
It's the only feature of its kind in North America: a place in Wyoming where visitors can watch a flow of water divide on the crest of the Continental Divide, beginning journeys that lead thousands of miles in opposite directions, eventually flowing into the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. ...
A Question of Leadership
As the pool and spa industry continues to surge into a seemingly bright future, veteran designer Kevin Woodhurst asks big questions about where our industry will find the leaders of tomorrow. The answers, he believes, come from within those who have witnessed the industry’s dynamic evolution. ...
The Wolfpack’s Simmering Summer Schedule
In its efforts to provide the industry’s finest education in formats and settings that fit a wide variety of student needs, Watershape University is presenting two outstanding summer programs, one live and in person, the other live and online. ...
Pebble Tec Introduces Artisan Planter Line
Pebble Technology International (Scottsdale, AZ) has introduced Artisan Cast Stone Patio Planters. The planters are made of Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC), providing industry leading PSI strength, the company says. They feature natural pigments to provide organic and enduring color that is integrated throughout the cast stone. A penetrating sealer gives extra protection from the elements and enhances the richness of color. Read more
Cascading Achievement
The elegant contemporary watershapes at the recently completed Apple Store in Abu Dhabi, UAE, stand among Crystal Fountains’ most sublime recent achievements, one in which they collaborated with an elite project team. Here’s a look at how the highly transparent process unfolded, both literally and figuratively. ...
The Perils of Ocean Acidification
The data is clear, the vast ocean of planet earth is becoming more acidic as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase. But what does that change really mean? Is ocean acidification a problem now, or in the future? Or is it just a point of passing interest as nature adapts to changing conditions? ...
Indoor Water & Air Quality (part II)
Air quality in natatoriums, and ultimately the comfort and health of people using and working at those facilities, relies on a careful balance between operating parameters and system design. As Eric Knight explains here, achieving outstanding indoor air requires understanding the interrelated nature of these spaces and the systems designed to maintain optimum conditions.   ...