ARTICLES Archives - Page 137 of 312

Beauty Within Reach

I’ve spent enough time exploring Los Angeles that I’ve found a few underappreciated gems in my time – at least so far as watershaping is concerned. One of them is Suiho En, the “Garden of Water and Fragrance” – otherwise known as “the Japanese Garden next to the water-treatment plant.” It’s an unusual location for such a contemplative space – six-and-a-half acres of

Liquid Layering

One of the things I like most about working with water is that it makes statements that don’t require much verbal explanation. In fact, I like to think that the projects I build speak volumes about my clients’ desire for something creative and interesting. They also speak to the point that most of my clients grant me the freedom to give my very best effort, both aesthetically and technically, without

A Pool Buyer’s Guide, Part I

Far too often, consumers approach construction projects in and around their homes as though they were buying television sets at a local mall. Nothing could be farther from reality! Let’s take a swimming pool as a case in point: Unlike an off-the-shelf commodity, a pool is a personal item that should be designed around the buyers, their lifestyle, how they entertain and – very important! – the nature of the building site. Also unlike most consumer commodities, the excellence of quality, design and performance is known to

Floating on Sunshine (pdf version)

‘I want the house to look as though it is floating on water.” That was what architect Victor Canas told me when I was called out to visit this site on the northwestern coast of Costa Rica. It was a brilliant idea, certainly one that befitted the spectacular mountaintop setting and its breathtaking 360-degree views of rugged coastline, forest greenery and assorted perspectives to horizons in all directions. I had the advantage in this case of already having built a

Media Sensations

I’ve been around watershapes on a professional basis since 1986, and I can recall more than a few times when something has crossed my desk that made me cringe. Often it was studies released by the National Association of Realtors about what adding a pool does to a home’s value. On too many occasions it was news about

Ponds on the Level

More and more people are enjoying the way ponds and watergardens help them keep in touch with nature, enjoy tranquility and slip into peaceful reflection. But these watershapes are small ecosystems and can pose a range of challenges – some of them, as we shall explore here, related to maintaining proper water levels. The average pond can lose its water in a number of ways, anything from small leaks or wicking from waterfalls to evaporation or small animals taking their share. Pond professionals and pond owners all know this, of course, but most rely on manual refilling methods – that is, a bucket or a nearby garden hose – instead of devising more elaborate filling systems. To be sure, the classic manual methods are tried and true, but some have

Sharing Traveler’s Tales

Back in the early days of WaterShapes, I recall a long breakfast conversation with David Tisherman in which we discussed the importance of travel as part of a complete design education. It was the summer of 1999, and I was on the hunt for artwork to go along with an article Mark Holden was preparing on the history of watershape design: David was known as someone who had traveled extensively and, more to the immediate point, was an avid taker of photographs of superior quality. He’d brought several sleeves filled with slides (remember them?) along to breakfast, and as we talked and I reviewed the photos, I was endlessly impressed by how meticulously he’d recorded so many places and details. I’ve always been a traveler, too, but I never much cared for

Splashes of Color

If you can’t see potential in every backyard you walk into, then you’re in the wrong business. Yes, some projects are more inspiring than others, and some spaces seem to offer you more to work with than others. Without exception, however, our clients’ yards present us with opportunities to develop programs that take advantage of what’s there in ways that bring balance and harmony and interest to any setting. Speaking for myself, I’m no more energized in a project than when I get the opportunity to right a wrong and replace a past mistake with a fresh, interesting design – and that was certainly the case in the project discussed in this article and in my past several “Details” columns in this magazine. The setting was special, the clients were great and

Water Under Pressure

Of all the concepts of hydraulic-system design, there are few that have more importance than the correlation between water flow (that is, capacity expressed as gallons per minute) and line velocity (the speed at which the water travels). As water travels through a pipe, its increase in speed (that is, its line velocity) results in an increase in resistance (expressed as feet of head) and in a reduction of end pressure, which is measured in pounds per square inch (psi). In other words, an increase in friction losses and a drop in pressure is the result of increased water velocity at a given flow. If that makes sense to you without further explanation, then you know much of what you need to know when it comes to