ARTICLES Archives - Page 200 of 317

Under Control

Striving to avoid anything that might compromise the visual integrity of his projects, Paolo Benedetti is always on the lookout for ways to conceal drain heads, skimmer lids and other undesired intrusions. Here, he takes aim at spaside controls, describing a quick, effective means of removing them from view by hiding them in a niche topped by a lid made from the same material as the coping or decking that surrounds the spa. One of my pet peeves is

The restoration of historic watershapes can be both exciting and satisfying, says engineer and commercial pool specialist William N. Rowley. But, he adds quickly, it can also be incredibly challenging as well, raising a host of issues few watershapers ever confront in their careers. To highlight these considerations, he discusses three California properties he’s recently helped rejuvenate, defining what it took to restore them to their former glory.

Heritage Trails

The renovation and restoration of historic watershapes and their surroundings is a rather peculiar specialty. After all, such projects don’t come along very often and never amount to enough to be considered a primary business focus. Even so, whenever and wherever they present themselves, those who get involved must always be ready to meet sets of very specific and often unusual challenges. The fact that these sites are historic, for instance, means that they also tend to be old, so they almost invariably come with surprises with respect to how they were originally built, what sort of remodeling and repair work has been done through the years, how they’ve been maintained and, often, the degree to which they’ve suffered from neglect or even abuse. Original plans can be hard to come by, so from the start there’s a need for a good bit of educated guesswork and a fair measure of improvisation. On top of that, you also have to be prepared to deal with members of any number of community organizations and historical societies ( not to mention concerned citizens, donors and benefactors) – all of whom have

The water has to come from somewhere in pond/stream systems – and that, according to master watershaper Anthony Archer Wills, is precisely where many projects run off course, basically because their injection points are too obviously contrived. Here, he argues instead for taking great care in devising (and hiding) water sources to make them seem as though they’ve been shaped from time immemorial by nature’s own subtle hydrology.

Beginnings

Where do rivers start? That’s a question that has always fascinated me, basically because I know that the Nile, the Amazon and the Thames – as majestic and life-giving as they and many of the world’s other great rivers become – all begin as mere trickles. Indeed, with the notable exception of rivers that erupt from the ground as powerful streams, most great rivers start out as subtle emanations of water that has migrated, globule by globule, through vast areas of porous rock to emerge as tiny rivulets in zones known as “spring lines.” These spaces typically exist between

Emotional Intelligence

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 our work’s emotional impact, however, the results are discordant and somehow unsettling. I think I’ve always known all of this on an intuitive level, but I’d never

The Project Manual

Through the past year and a half, I’ve dedicated four “Currents” columns to the subject of drawing practices and the National CAD Standards. But construction documents consist not only of drawings, but also written specifications – so now I’ll shift my attention to Project Manuals – key communication tools used by architects and engineers to uphold quality and establish performance requirements for all of a given project’s contractors. Basically, a Project Manual is a bound book of construction documents prepared to define

Sturdy at the Edges

In just about every profession, it seems that there’s one thing or another that goes unnoticed and underappreciated because it is overshadowed by more visible or sensational elements. In the watershaping and landshape trades, for example, I see foundations as being among these unsung details despite their obvious significance. They’re so important that I always talk with my clients about them and the role proper preparation plays in the success of everything atop them. After all, I say, a home can have wonderful tile work in the kitchen, but it really won’t be worth much unless

Plain Silly

I have my opinions – some of them quite strong – but I’m also what I would consider to be a tolerant, open-minded guy: I weigh a broad spectrum of ideas in forming my perspectives, and I try my best to judge people by their thoughts, actions and merits. Every once in a while, however, my reserves of patience get pressed to the limit. When that happens, I believe it’s valid and useful to stand up and call things as I see them. Let me cut to the chase: On February 25, 2009, The New York Times ran a piece in the paper’s Home & Garden section by

Joy and Glory

Just a couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending the day with a long-time WaterShapes contributor – and my good friend – Dr. William N. Rowley. Just a year ago this month, Bill was one of the first recipients of the McCloskey Prize, and as we noted at the time, he has from the start of the magazine been a tireless supporter of our efforts to build pride and professionalism

Conceived of as part of the home’s original design and construction, this stunning rectangular pool provided the watershaping team of William Bennett and Walter Williams with the opportunity to work closely with an architect at the top of his game. The resulting composition in concrete, glass, wood and water – set on a steep slope in a densely wooded area – made all participants to rise to the occasion with practical, cost-sensitive solutions.

Builder’s Pride

There’s no doubt about it: Projects in which watershapers participate from the start in the overall design of a custom residence offer rare opportunities for creative integration that don’t come along very often. That was just the positive situation we encountered here – and the results are among the finest we’ve ever achieved. The project was organized by Lewis Bloom of Bloom Builders (Bethesda, Md.). We at Alpine Pool & Design (Annandale, Va.) have had the privilege of collaborating with him often through the past 20 years and have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship every step of the way. In this case, we were asked to get involved with a spec house he wanted to build on a steeply sloping, heavily wooded lot overlooking the Potomac River as it passes through Bethesda. Heading the design team was a prominent local architect, Robert M. Gurney, who has earned a reputation for beautiful Contemporary approaches to both residential and commercial projects. More to the point, he’s also known for his ability to maximize connections between built spaces and the areas that surround them. Everything seemed to mesh, and we

Michael Nantz has built a reputation for success in design work across a range of styles and settings. Here in words and images, the Dallas-based watershape designer and builder leads us through a set of recent projects that put him to the test, forcing him to work with challenging sites and a more than a few quirky client requests – and, invariably, pushing him to balance his instincts against the needs of his projects in developing creative solutions.

Balancing Acts

Through the past few years, a number of my most interesting projects have been all about revising outdoor environments for upscale residential clients, generally with the thought in my mind of integrating exterior and interior spaces. That seems simple enough, but these tasks have frequently been complicated by unusual site features and the fact that what clients want at the outset isn’t exactly what the site seems to require. In a few of these situations, I’ve needed to reset the stage entirely by remodeling significant architectural elements of the house to fuse indoor and outdoor spaces; in others, I’ve had to revise and reconfigure everything on site except the house. As I roll through these various scenarios, the thought I always keep uppermost in mind has to do with making everything seem as though