Spatial Emotions
Designing spaces for human use -- especially those of the recreational variety -- starts by understanding that the primary goal is to generate a positive emotional response, regardless of style, the size of the property or the client’s budget. That’s why Mike Farley considers the ways that different spatial configurations make his clients feel. ...
Historically Gigantic Seaweed Blob Threatens Florida (but could it save the world?)
A mat of seaweed twice the size of the U.S. is headed toward Florida, raising the specter of dirty, stinky beaches and possible harm to coastal ecosystems. Record algal blooms are becoming more common as a result of climate change, while at the same time, farming seaweed might be a powerful weapon in the war against permanent environmental damage. ...
Pickleball Comes Home
As homeowners look to expand their at-home recreational options, sports courts are becoming more and more popular. While they’re not overtaking pools , says Scott Cohen, one game in particular, pickleball, is rising on his company’s list of popular menu items. ...
Education Far and Wide
In its ongoing efforts to meet the industry’s demand for top-shelf education and training, Watershape University has come out strong in the first quarter of the year, and is now set for a tour de force set of offerings later this month. ...
Add Water, Live Better!
The towering importance of health and wellness is manifesting in the skyrocketing value of the global market. The short and long-term implications for the watershaping industry could be far-reaching and lucrative for those who embrace the healthful power of an aquatic lifestyle.  ...
Revitalizing a Lone Star Legacy
As office property owners and operators seek fresh ways to entice workers back to the workplace post-pandemic, a team of architects and designers have completed renovating an extraordinary mustang fountain at the Towers at Williams Square in Irving, TX. The result is spectacular. ...
P804: Plumbed Snorkel Detail
There’s much more to making a perimeter overflow detail work than meets the eye. What looks like a thin slot at the edge of the water surface conceals the gutter and required plumbing below. This detail shows the dropouts, main drainage line and the snorkel detail necessary for reducing noise from air being sucked into the system. ...
Reflecting the High Life
Four years in the making, this Ohio project gave Jerry Hammerschmidt and his staff at High-Tech Pools an opportunity to execute at the highest possible level, both in terms of design collaboration, and construction. Here he pulls back the curtain on a project that deftly blends modern and classic motifs in a uniquely luxurious estate setting.  ...
Whimsy by Design
Creating water playgrounds that appeal to multiple generations is both a science and an art, explains “playologist” Shelley Robinson. Here she profiles an enduring splash-pad project that was designed to delight kids and their parent alike with the use of custom features and large doses of imagination. ...
Chance Inventions
Toys that feature getting wet have a history of becoming iconic to the point it’s hard to imagine summer without squirt guns, water balloons or flotation devices. It may come as a surprise that some of the most popular water toys were not planned by their inventors, but instead were inspired by random observations. ...