ARTICLES Archives - Page 207 of 315

Beyond the Edge

Last month, I did my usual annual roundup of books that feature custom residential swimming pools. I must confess that I deliberately withheld one such book from the usual summary treatment because it was just too good for me not to give it a full column's attention this time around. The book - Infinity Pools by Ana G. Canizares (Collins Design, 2006) - is one of the best on pools as a design genre that I've ever seen. In fact, one of the few things I don't like about it is the title, because I've always preferred the term "vanishing edge." That quibble aside, I think she's done a terrific job of presenting what has to be the most powerful, influential design look of the past 20 years. More important, she manages to do so without making these pools seem a visual cliché. As is demonstrated repeatedly

Illuminating Footsteps

It's not an uncommon goal: Nearly all of the homeowners I speak with about lighting designs want to be able to move safely and comfortably around their properties at night. Perhaps more important, they want guests and others unfamiliar with those spaces to be able to do the same without anyone being concerned about suffering an injury as a result of a misstep brought on by darkness or glare. The interesting this is, some of my clients need convincing when it comes to path or step lighting: Even if they see

Tumbling Down

Reading WaterShapes' 100th issue brought back memories of when I first discovered the magazine and my early conversations with its editor, Eric Herman. I remember thinking at that time - or at least hoping - that there really were lots of other people out there in the design/build world who truly aim to do things right, first time, every time. In looking over the poster included with the issue, I spotted the one from January 2000 with a photograph I'd taken of one of our projects - a retaining wall under construction. I don't know quite why, but that image made me think of a site I visited last year where a retaining wall built by inexperienced hands was in the process of collapsing. And not only was the wall falling apart, but it was also compromising the fence atop it as well as a concrete patio, a storage shed and an inground pool it was intended to bolster. I couldn't help thinking that, as far as our industry has come in the past decade, there are always going to be those who

On a Wire

Several years back, I was in a seminar at the International Pool & Spa Expo when the instructor asked everyone who had an e-mail address to raise a hand. Way back then - it was in the late 1980s or perhaps even the early '90s - using the Internet for communication was a brand-new concept to most people and there were only a few people in the room who lifted an arm. I wasn't one of them, and at that point I had no idea that e-mail and Web sites would ever become such an integral part of my life. At that time, in fact, I didn't think I'd ever need an e-mail address. After all, I

Seeking Solutions

Back in October 1989, I was on the second day of a new job working with Jim McCloskey for another pool/spa industry magazine when he called me into his office and suggested that I might want to spend my evening at a meeting of the

For 35 years, landscape artist Martin Mosko has specialized in designing and installing highly customized watershapes and landscapes that harmonize with their environments. In this project, the client asked him to create a high-altitude paradise that would make the most of its dramatic surroundings – and Mosko responded with a pool, pond, stream and waterfall complex in which everything seems absolutely right at home.

Making a Mountain Haven

I see gardens as entire worlds unto themselves - as complete and alive and distinct rather than as simple decorative extensions of architecture. Whatever form they might take, these spaces should carry us back into the peaceful parts of ourselves and to the calm, clear realms of our minds and spirits. This outlook has, in my role as founder and principal of Marpa Design Studio of Boulder, Colo., led me to consider landscapes as integrated wholes rather than as cobbled assemblies of solutions to various problems. It's a positive philosophy and design approach that is fully on display in the project depicted on these pages. I was recommended by the architect, who was working with the owners of this sprawling Rocky Mountain estate on a major renovation of both the home and the surrounding land. From the start, I was told there was just one major theme in mind: The home and its surroundings were to look as natural as possible - as though everything had arisen organically from the roots of the mountains. Neither house nor grounds possessed that spirit at the time, and the landscape was particularly deficient. Indeed, the only pre-existing feature was a cracked

Since 1971, Haddonstone Ltd. has provided fountains, garden accents and architectural components to designers around the world. Using a cast-stone process that results in artful replicas of classic profiles as well as various contemporary and custom objects, the company’s aim has always been to give watershapers, landscape artists and architects ready access to a selection of exterior decorations suited to a range of projects and styles.

Fitting Pieces

Natural stone is one of the planet's most enduring artistic media and has been used in all historical eras across all design traditions in richly varied ways. From the pyramids of Egypt to the Great Wall of China, from the friezes of the Parthenon to the masterpieces of Michelangelo, it has always been the material of choice for work that matters. For all its beauty and durability, however, natural stone has its limitations: Even in modern times with modern technology, it must be quarried or harvested; fabrication of finished pieces is laborious; and its weight makes moving it from place to place both costly and time-consuming. It's also not a renewable material: Supplies of many of the world's most favored types are restricted, and some are simply no longer available. It's in this context that cast stone has emerged as a viable alternative in reproducing the looks, textures and sheer physical presence of natural stone materials. We at Haddonstone Ltd., for example, offer cast-stone products that can be used in architectural, landscape and watershape settings in ways that are virtually indistinguishable from pieces made of marble or limestone - and do so at a fraction of the cost with a consistency and precision that are difficult to achieve with natural materials. We started modestly in 1971 with a facility near Northampton, England, that turned out just seven ornamental pieces in cast stone. In the ensuing years, that list has grown to include more than

Its dominance may have faded in the past 20 years as designers and their clients have moved along to consider other options, says surfacing specialist Alan Smith, but in the period before the mid-1970s, it was tough to find a pool finished in any material other than white plaster. Here, he traces the history of this material and the many twists and turns that led to its decline – and discusses what he sees as the potential for something of a revival.

A Light on White

It's probably something that few owners of swimming pools built in the 40-year period after World War II ever paused to consider, but from the days of ancient Rome until modern times, pools and watershapes were often finished with white or light gray materials of some type. From the late 1940s straight through to the mid-'70s, in fact, it was unusual - even over the top - for a backyard swimming pool to be finished with anything other than white plaster: That was what the companies that defined the industry in the early-postwar period used, and for the most part, that was the only choice consumers had. There were, of course, some beautiful (and costly) all-tile pools, and pools belonging to folks on all economic strata were occasionally painted in different colors, but brilliant white seemed to be exactly what everyone craved to the point where

Vera Katz Park was once just an empty sidewalk in Portland’s Pearl District – up until landscape designer and sculptor Scott Murase transformed it into a vibrant urban ‘sliver park’ complete with a long watershape and other attractive amenities. The results of his endeavors are chronicled here, with an emphasis on a unique design process and his use of a creative editing approach that perfectly served the needs of this distinctly urban space.

An Elegant Slice

Our involvement with Vera Katz Park started with a phone call from Alan Beard of GBD Architects, a firm that has been responsible for designing several signature buildings in Portland, Ore. The project at hand was the complex renovation and transformation of the city's National Guard Armory into a modern theater and the new home of the Portland Center Stage Theater Company. After an energetic interview process, we were selected to design the site's landscape. We were enthusiastic about the project from the start. The sidewalk area we were designing is an integral part of the redevelopment of what's known as the Pearl District, a former industrial area now being revitalized with mixed-use buildings and high-rise developments. At 200 feet long by 20 feet wide, the space presented an interesting design challenge in an area much in need of parks and public places. The city's goal is to establish pedestrian connections throughout the neighborhood while creating a sense of community within the district. For our part, we saw the site, which was to be named in honor of former Portland mayor Vera Katz, a devoted supporter of the arts who had been instrumental in the repurposing of the Armory Building, as an opportunity to create a

Landscape artist Colleen Holmes is known for wonderfully thoughtful and entirely distinctive projects. In the one she describes here, she was asked to do her usual in designing and executing an intricate job complete with a pond and waterfall, extensive plantings, retaining walls, pathways, lighting, a teahouse and more – and to make it all happen in a frantic 60 days that saw her and her crews working around the clock, seven days a week.

Pastoral Frenzy

My first experience with these clients had to do with their backyard pool: They let me know they weren't quite satisfied with what they had and wanted me to come in and set things straight. The result of this collaboration was a tropical, Hawaiian-style paradise they truly love. The next time they called, it was about their large front yard. I initially assumed, of course, that they would want me to carry themes established in the backyard out to the street, but I was mistaken: What they desired instead was a Japanese garden-style woodland complete with a pond/waterfall system, a teahouse and more. Admittedly, it's somewhat unusual for a property to have so pronounced a split personality, but in this case, it was not only what the clients desired, but it also made perfect sense because