ARTICLES Archives - Page 185 of 315

Five Keys to Waterproofing Success

It's a fact: Watershapes built with concrete need to be waterproofed in some way or it is almost certain that the water their shells are supposed to contain will find a way to escape. While some observe that concrete applied by an expert at high levels of compressive strength will

Ripples #2

Readers Throw Cold Water on WSJ Pool Article As if the tanked economy wasn't bad enough for watershapers, The Wall Street Journal recently published an article ("Taking a Bath on Your Pool") that, essentially, calls into question the sanity of any homeowner who

Two Tales of Two Architects

Earlier this year, I attended the Texas Pool & Spa Expo in Fort Worth — and, upon arrival, was treated to an unexpected earful. As soon as I reached the show floor, I walked over to greet my friends at the Genesis 3 booth. Before I could even get in a good round of "hellos," David Tisherman asked me if I'd ever been to the

Maximizing Positive Feelings

Whether we think of them this way or not, watershape and landscape designs have the ability to create emotional responses among our clients. In that sense, we're actually in the business of provoking those feelings. When we do things right, the conjurings are positive and are at their best when we successfully forge links to our clients' treasured experiences. If we miss the mark by not properly considering

On Mastering the Good Life

An Interview by Eric Herman Brian Van Bower's 'Aqua Culture' column has appeared in every WaterShapes issue since the magazine's inception and has become an inspirational touchstone for many along the way. Now in his 12th year of writing for WaterShapes, Brian has covered a vast array of topics, all with a unique

Ripples #1

World's Most Amazing Swimming Pool? Ripples thinks so — not because of the pool itself, but because of where and how it is situated. To fully appreciate this mindboggling installation, you need to see photos, so please

Clients and Color Consistency

For many of us in the custom watershape and landscape business these days, working with decorative concrete is an almost daily activity. In my business, for example, we custom-cast fountains, make poured-in-place coping, fabricate countertops, create pilaster caps — you name it. And we can make whatever

Hearst Castle: A Question of Balance

I just don't get Hearst Castle. Why should we celebrate the gross-scale purchases of historical artifacts and period-inspired structures by a wealthy American whose main pleasures seem to have involved amusing himself and overwhelming others? I am willing to concede that Hearst's San Simeon compound and collections impress

A Mini-Lesson on Water Quality

In this series of occasional newsletter articles, the staff at Aquascape — a waterfeature design and installation company headquartered in St. Charles, Ill. — will offer information, advice and tips on creating and maintaining quality ponds, streams, waterfalls and pondless waterfeatures. Along the way, the coverage will range from the very basic — the sort of information you can use in training new staff and helping your clients — to the very advanced. To get things started, here's

Remembering Ferruccio Vitale

By Mike Farley As someone who has spent years digging into the history of landscape and watershape design, it comes as something of a surprise to me that, alongside the luminaries who dominate discussions of the origins of familiar design approaches, motifs and styles, stands at least one practitioner who is not