ARTICLES Archives - Page 140 of 315

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

Test Your Knowledge #52

Swimmer Killed in Horrific Shark Attack Near Beach Note: >> Some Web sites may open…

A Seaside Classic

It’s a grand watershape built at a time and place when “grand” was in fashion in so many ways. Ever since 1940, when the Raleigh Hotel and its beautiful swimming pool opened to the public for the first time, the establishment has made a statement about the sun-drenched glory of a prime South Florida location as well as the glamour of an era gone by. Designed and built by renowned architect L. Murray Dixon, the hotel and pool are located in South Beach, Miami’s famed Art Deco district. The pool’s curvaceous shape and modern styling reflected the hotel’s architecture and the aspirations

Turtle Heaven

Every once in a while, we come across a client with a special interest in supporting something other than the fish and plants that generally inhabit the ponds we design and install. Occasionally, for example, we’ll get a request to build a watershape that will be particularly attractive to non-fishy wildlife – everything from birds and frogs to various mammals and even insects. In most cases, no special features are required: The pond becomes a known, habitual part of the local ecosystem and various creatures will just show up, so all we really need to do is make certain the water is deep enough and that we’ve installed enough caves and hiding places that the fish will be able to elude predators. Turtles, however, are a different story. Where frogs and birds and raccoons and butterflies will just appear, pondowners generally need to bring in turtles – and then

Ripples #63

Compiled and Written by Lenny Giteck Artist Explores the Ocean in An Underwater Wheelchair

#3: Finger Ledge

Among all of the details included in residential swimming pools and spas, some of the most apparent and most easily explained have to do with safety. But that doesn’t mean that homeowners will get the idea on their own – especially when they confront a detail as subtly useful as