ARTICLES
Advance Search
Aquatic Health
Aquatic Health, Fitness & Safety
Around the Internet
Aquatic Culture
Aquatic Technology
Artful Endeavors
Celebrity Corner
Life Aquatic
Must-See Watershapes
People with Cameras
Watershapes in the Headlines
Art/Architectural History
Book & Media Reviews
Commentaries, Interviews & Profiles
Concrete Science
Environment
Fountains
Geotechnical
Join the Dialogue
Landscape, Plants, Hardscape & Decks
Lighter Side
Ripples
Test Your Knowledge
The Aquatic Quiz
Other Waterfeatures (from birdbaths to lakes)
Outdoor Living, Fire Features, Amenities & Lighting
Plants
Ponds, Streams & Waterfalls
Pools & Spas
Professional Watershaping
Structures (Editor's Notes)
Travelogues & History
Water Chemistry
WaterShapes TV
WaterShapes World Blog
Web Links
Around the Internet
Aquatic Culture
Aquatic Technology
Artful Endeavors
Celebrity Corner
Life Aquatic
Must-See Watershapes
People with Cameras
Watershapes in the Headlines
As I see it, watershaping is an activity in which multiple disciplines come together to design, engineer and construct decorative or recreational systems that contain and control water: pools and spas, fountains, ponds, streams and waterfalls, interactive water systems – “everything from birdbaths to lakes,” as publisher Jim McCloskey is relentlessly fond of saying. Those multiple disciplines encompass landscape architects and designers, pool designers and builders, architects, interior designers, environmental artists and a host of subtrades as well as adherents of various movements, from historic preservationists to professionals in the green industries. It’s a broad and exciting amalgam of interests, and my sense is that, as
By now, we all know that pools and certain other watershape forms have been around since ancient times. It’s my strong suspicion, however, that most of us who design and build backyard swimming pools today would fail a pop quiz about
Want to know why creating healthy, low-maintenance ecosystems is so important to contractors who install naturalistic watershapes? It’s because the last thing any of us needs during the busy season is a phone call complaining about
WaterShapes started 12 years ago as the result of a lengthy round of discussions between Eric Herman and me — an exchange of ideas that has
Where and when was the first modern indoor waterpark built?
Compiled and Written by Lenny GiteckArnold Schwarenegger’s Affinity for Soviet Busts Why did Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger adorn the deck around his swimming pool with statues of
As I peruse my expert-witness files to develop these "Lessons Learned" items, sometimes I run across situations so remarkably silly that I'm reminded why they originally made me scratch my head and marvel at the
Most watershapers know that the work we do requires knowledge across a wide range of disciplines -- a cluster of skills that includes, among others, geology, materials science, structural engineering, construction techniques, hydraulics, architecture, art history, color
I was chatting recently with my longtime friend Laurie Batter, president of Batter Up! Productions in Carlsbad, Calif. Among other things, her media relations firm takes care of public relations for the National Swimming Pool Foundation. We were discussing ways to promote the health benefits of swimming and other aquatic activities, when Laurie mentioned the Let’s Move initiative led by First Lady Michelle Obama, which fosters physical fitness among children. While we agreed it’s a great cause and a wonderful program, Laurie pointed out that the initiative apparently does not promote swimming.
NSPF’s Dr. Tom Lachocki