ARTICLES Archives - Page 142 of 316

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

World’s Fountain

When the weather cooperates, Seattle is a breathtaking place. I particularly enjoy approaching the city from the water: The skyline is backed by tall mountains and offers lessons in scale, proportion and visual integrity you just don’t get from a typical cityscape. My very first visit to Seattle, however, took place long before I had

Valuing Ponds

Most people know that an ecosystem is, by definition, an ecological community that, together with its environment, functions as a unit. Fewer probably know that the word ecology comes from two Greek words: oilcos, meaning “house,” and logos, meaning “the study of.” Together, the word literally means “study of the home.” The result is a word packed with meaning and power, both emotional and practical. Its implications reach everywhere, even into the realm of watershaping and especially

Cooling the Flock

Sometimes, it’s the unexpected that gives a place its true spirit. That’s been very much the case for The First Church of Christ, Scientist, a 1975 addition to Boston’s historic Back Bay district. The site features a campus plan devised by legendary architects I.M. Pei and Peter Walker, with grounds organized around a

Lessons All Around

The ingenuity of the folks at the National Swimming Pool Foundation makes me smile. If you’ll recall, I wrote several months ago about Tom Lachocki’s election-season declaration that it was time to donate to something, anything other than candidates for office. His suggestion was to divert political contributions toward the funding of swim lessons for children – which seemed, amid the fall’s welter of campaign ads, a much more productive way to