ARTICLES Archives - Page 208 of 315

Thinking Differently

Not long ago, a friend and I were talking the about worn-out phrases, and “thinking outside the box” was one of them. As he pointed out, it’s remarkably ironic that we now use a cliché to

Watershaper and landscape architect Kathy Marosz relies on two words to describe her installation of a wildly elaborate watershape complex in the hills of north San Diego County: unending complexity. Here, in her second article on this outsized project, she digs into the intricacies of a unique hydraulic network that gives the homeowner a dazzlingly broad set of options to pursue while enjoying his 90,000-gallon backyard paradise.

It’s a project I won’t soon forget, believe me. In the April 2008 issue of WaterShapes, I offered the first of what ultimately will be three articles on an enormously ambitious project I began working on more than two years ago. In that span, I’ve found myself taking whatever solace I can from the fact that everyone who’s become involved with the project (or has even heard about it in any detail) concedes that it’s probably the most complicated backyard watershape they’ve ever encountered. Last time, I covered the scope of the project in general terms, outlining the design-development process and rolling through some of the more intricate details of the early construction phases. This time, we’ll move along to take a close look at the multiple water systems and effects and the hydraulic approaches needed to make them all work. (In thinking things through in preparation for writing this article, I began to suspect that there might be enough here to fill a small book; being a merciful soul, however, I’ll stick to the key points and keep things moving.) To recap briefly: The project features

Every year since 2003, Ed Beaulieu has led a cadre of Aquascape’s pond installers in building temporary watergarden exhibits for Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando, Fla., in conjunction with the park’s annual International Flower & Garden Show. The program, he says, represents not only a great opportunity to expose millions of visitors to the joys and beauties of watergardening, but is also something of a celebration for the installers.

Magic to Do

One person’s error is often another’s opportunity – and that’s exactly how my relationship with Disney’s Epcot Center began. The famous Florida theme park has held its International Flower & Garden Show in the spring for many years now, and one of the festival’s more popular highlights has long been the program’s “Water Garden Wonders” exhibit. A local Floridian pond contractor had always taken care of the waterfeatures for the show, but after a series of problems, officials at Disney decided to make a change and I was contacted to see if our company, Aquascape of St. Charles, Ill., would be interested in taking over the pond-construction duties. I was immediately on board with the idea. After all, how do you say no to

Increasing Access

The benefits of swimming and other forms of aquatic exercise are better defined and more widely known than ever before, notes Dr. Bruce Becker, one of the nation’s top researchers into all the good things that happen when people get in the water. But there are a number of obstacles that are keeping some of those who would benefit from actually getting in the water to help themselves, he adds – a surmountable set of issues he explores here. It seems obvious enough. To reap the physical and psychological benefits of swimming and other forms of aquatic exercise and therapy, a person must first get into the water. Experience shows, however, that this initial step is often not

Water and works of art have been near-constant companions for millennia, but that traditional pairing seems to be generating new enthusiasm, says watershape designer/builder Randy Beard, with more and more property owners seeking to make unique statements by putting artworks on display in and around water. He takes a look at this emerging trend here, using a number of his recent projects in southern California to illustrate the point.

Forms and Figures

As watershape design expands beyond the mostly recreational traditions of the recent past, more of us are being asked these days to design water elements that work more decoratively and serve to frame, reflect and otherwiseaccentuate or accompany art pieces. In these situations, a pool, fountain or basin design is visually driven by the artwork, and whether the project is done for a private residence or a commercial complex, the results can be wonderfully dynamic. In most cases, requests for this design approach come from an owner who has a particular piece in mind; in a few other cases, the artist will commission a watershape to accompany a main attraction of his or her devising and becomes a key participant in the design process. All in all, I see this as another manifestation of a trend in which

Finding Fitness

For a good while now, I’ve been on the lookout for books that define the health benefits of swimming and other forms of aquatic exercise. I’ve largely come up empty, with only a couple of worthy exceptions. It’s been important to me for two reasons: First, I’m convinced (as others in this magazine have argued) that the watershaping industry is doing both itself and its clients a disservice by not promoting the remarkable healthfulness of aquatic activity. I think this is a deficit we desperately need to address – and also that this effort must begin on a solid base of knowledge and fact. Second, as I progress through my forties, I’m finding that running is becoming more and more difficult because of hip problems; my intention is to turn to the water to maintain my physical fitness, but I want to know more about it and how to do it right. So far, the best resource for information about swimming I’ve found is The Complete Book of Swimming by Dr. Phillip Whitten (Random House, 1994). It’s older than some other volumes I’ve found, but I think it’s the best because

The Illuminating Past

What’s the use of knowing about history? For many of us, the answer to that question seems so obvious that it comes as a shock to find out just how many people in the watershaping and landscape fields don’t grasp the all-encompassing significance of our collective past – but it shouldn’t. Using my own career as an example – and even though I now spend a considerable amount of my time teaching professionals and university students all about art and architectural history – I confess that I waltzed through more than a few early years as an aspiring landscape architect and watershaper in blissful ignorance of

The Evergreen Scene

Where I work in the northeastern United States, several species of trees and shrubs have been staples of residential landscape design for so long that stands of these arboreal mainstays (very often deployed by firms not known for their creativity) have become something of a visual cliché. Through the years, however, I’ve found that even these shopworn landscape icons can be used in beautiful and often surprising ways that seem perfectly suited to their environments while also making

Keeping Control

As watershape designs have become more creative, more competitive and ultimately more valuable to our clients than they once were, it’s natural that we have started paying more attention to protecting our output – what some call our “intellectual property.” This is indeed a large and important issue for many people in our business, virtually to the point where watershapers are now facing the same sorts of concerns that have preoccupied architects and landscape architects for decades. And we’ve caught up with our colleagues at a bad time: With technology being what it is now, the opportunities for

Breathing in Water

I’m sure many of you have noticed by now that we’ve been devoting some of WaterShapes’ pages to articles that in one way or another shine a light on the health benefits of swimming and other forms of aquatic activity. We’ve done so in the firm belief that the information is important and needs to be