ARTICLES Archives - Page 172 of 312

Compiled and Written by Lenny Giteck Witchcraft and 'Swimming':A Horrific, Always Deadly Test Today we think of swimming as a fun, healthful, refreshing activity, but it was not always so. According to the Web site Suite101.com, a gruesome practice called "swimming" was

Faux-rock specialist John Carlson has spent his career creating artificial structures that deftly fool the eye. Along the way, he’s applied his skills in a various settings, always pushing toward greater levels of complexity no matter whether he’s working with swimming pools, aquariums, decorative features or home interiors. As he demonstrates here, what gets and keeps him going is the flexibility of a material that seems so rigid.

Powers of Imagination

It’s frequently tough to figure out how a person ever finds his or her way into a specific line of work. In my case, for example, I more or less fell into the faux-rock trade, never imagining that what seemed like a blind stumble would ultimately unlock my imagination in a whole range of unexpected ways. It all started when I was working in the oil industry in Alaska in the 1980s. When petroleum prices dropped, I was out of work and moved back to my home town of Tucson, Ariz., where I was hired as a laborer by the Larson Company, which was among the trailblazing firms starting to work in faux rock. I began by mixing concrete and did my fair share of grunt work. As luck would have it, I began showing some artistic promise and in a relatively short time found myself working on major projects and learning the process literally from the ground up. After a couple of hard years, I became a superintendent, a promotion that led to my involvement in major overseas projects, including aquariums in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, as well as an extended stay in Italy. These were wonderful, formative experiences, but eventually I struck out on my own and

As is true of many modern cities, the early development of Anaheim, Calif., was all about its approach to managing water. In the following text and images, watershaper and consultant Mark Holden discusses how this history led recently to the completion of a compact public park in which an unusual watershape graphically demonstrates the way water was harnessed and used in the 19th Century to fuel the region’s agricultural and civic growth.

Artful Education

More than three years ago, I was approached by a talented landscape architect (and good friend) to look at project with an interesting twist: the celebration of the agricultural history of a well-known California city. I’ve long been fascinated by history and have taught the history of art and architecture in a variety of settings, so when Lance Walker (then principal at The Collaborative West, San Clemente, Calif.) called me, I was keenly motivated to hear more about his plan to pay homage to those who had jump-started a major modern community by harnessing a natural watercourse to

The restoration of significant architectural sites is always a challenge, but as Jeffrey Boucher of Drakeley Swimming Pool Co. reports, it rises to an even higher level when the project includes restoration of a mural painted by Alexander Calder. Here, Boucher tells the story of a high-stakes project filled with interesting twists and turns – not least of which is the revelation of a deeper connection between the watershaping team and this particular pool.

Artful Restoration

Back in 1949, a prominent couple living in Litchfield County, Conn., decided they wanted to build a contemporary-style home that would stand out among the classically styled residences that marked the area. After conducting extensive research, they retained the renowned Bauhaus architect and Modernist artist Marcel Breuer. The home Breuer eventually designed for Leslie and Rufus Stillman pays testimony to the stark beauty of minimalism: The daring, box-shaped, two-level structure featured an array of contemporary elements and appointments, not least of which is a large, rectilinear swimming pool accessed by a dramatic, cantilevered staircase from the home’s upper level. (Things worked out so well here, by the way, that this was just the first of three Breuer homes commissioned by the Stillmans.) The couple avidly collected modern art, so the home became a showplace for a number of original pieces by several of the mid-century period’s greatest artists, including Alexander Calder. Although perhaps best remembered today for inventing the mobile, Calder was asked in this case to paint an original mural on a large block wall set above the deep end of the pool. The results were, in a word, spectacular. But let’s fast-forward 60 years: By 2010, the Stillman House was in need of restoration, and even the vivid Calder mural had cracked and eroded from exposure to the elements. Happily, this proved a turning point, as the property’s new owners announced their intention to

Concrete is the primary building material used by most watershapers, but it seems to award-winning concrete artist/architectural designer Fu-Tung Cheng that designers and installers alike should be encouraged to exploit more of the material’s flexibility and power when developing aesthetic elements in and around water. Here, he offers his perspective on creating interior and exterior waterfeatures with this amazing potential in mind.

Concrete Expressions

By Fu-Tung Cheng I’ve never been entirely comfortable with the term “decorative concrete.” To me, the pairing of the words has always implied that one merely applies material over a substrate in the way a baker might apply icing to decorate a cake. Instead, I see concrete as inherently profound. More than appliqué, it is a medium that has long been used functionally as well as expressively. In my own case, I feel far more creatively engaged in my work when I merge my thinking about those dual potentials of function and art. Historically, in fact, I believe that when the two become an inseparable one, we recognize and celebrate these works as rising to the level of great design. In my own case, I began using concrete as an expressive medium a few decades back, when I was among the pioneers in designing and installing concrete countertops in contemporary kitchens. As both designer and builder, by the year 2000 I had

Selling the Dream

One of the questions I always ask prospective clients is, “Why are you investing in a pool and not a recreational vehicle, boat or vacation home?” Obviously, I’m not interested in having them rethink the decision to purchase a watershape; rather, I’m trying to draw them more deeply into their commitment, identify what’s important to them and use the information as part of my sales effort and, later, the design process. Although my clients will express themselves in different ways, their desires almost invariably boil down to wanting a place for family to gather and have fun, to share good times with friends and to enjoy measures of luxury and beauty. In essence, almost all of them want to take the wastelands that are most backyards and turn them into private resorts. I thought about how I approach these issues a lot after

East and West

I’ve been a fanatical WaterShapes reader from the very beginning, drawn not only by the cool projects but also by its publication of columns and features written by people who actually had experience in the field. Sometimes I love those writers, sometimes they bug the daylights out of me – but always, I appreciate getting information right from the source. And I can’t recall ever having come away from reading WaterShapes without being inspired: pushed to think outside my comfort zone and, more important, convinced it’s always, always best to

Stoking the Mojo

By now, most of us have noticed or at least heard news of the onset of a much- anticipated rebound in the economy. Most watershapers I speak with confirm that it’s true (although to widely varying degrees) and that they are indeed experiencing increases in business – both with new contacts and old leads that have come back into play. I write those words knowing that you may or may not be convinced that this is the real thing. After all, we’ve learned some tough lessons during this recession, not the least of which is to be wary when pundits offer predictions that they seem perfectly willing to adjust from week to week. At present, however, most of these economic gurus are

Forward Motions

It’s been almost a year since we announced that WaterShapes would be moving to a bimonthly publishing schedule. Ever since, we’ve been gratified by the number of people who have stepped up to express their appreciation for the magazine – and their hope that it would soon return to its familiar monthly appearances. Unfortunately, the economy hasn’t improved sufficiently to make that possible. We’re confident things will eventually turn around and that marketers will once again have the resources to lift us to a point where we can fulfill our readers’ desire for more issues, but until then, we’ll keep on publishing the industry’s favorite magazine every other month and keep upgrading