ARTICLES Archives - Page 277 of 316

Finding Ways

Last month, I jumped into the New Year with a discussion of how the trends we face these days are influencing our recent experiences in business, society and life in general. In doing so, we navigated our through a mixed bag of factors - advancing technology, interesting economic times and complex legal conditions on the grand scale up alongside local, narrower issues having to do with the emergence of the watershaping business, the wayward nature of trade associations and the state of relevant education for our trades. All that was intended to set up this column's discussion of where we, as the watershaping industry, might be going in the months and years to come. Pure prognostication, however, is an imperfect process in which I won't indulge. Rather than get into the aimless game of offering predictions, I'll delve instead into

Outside the Rocks

Sometimes I like clichés. That's tough and perhaps treasonous for an editor to admit, but there are certain phrases that truly resonate, and I stand by them for what I think are

There’s nothing more important to successful construction of custom watershapes, says structural engineer Ron Lacher, than the effective use of pneumatically applied concrete and reinforcing steel. But for all the utility and familiarity of these basic materials, he adds, many in the watershaping trades could benefit from a better understanding of their individual natures – and of how this powerful and time-tested tandem works together.

Where Concrete Meets Steel

The combination of concrete and steel is the currency of most modern construction, and there's a simple economic explanation for that fact: The affordability and availability of the basic ingredients of cement, aggregate, water and rebar have made their combination viable for use in countries the world over. Used together, especially when the cementitious product comes in the form of pneumatically applied concrete, reinforced concrete is incredibly flexible and can be used to create almost any shape we might imagine. And in the case of pneumatic application, those shapes can largely be created without the use of traditional concrete forms. Indeed, it's a construction matrix that can be used in such a way that the contours of the soil dictate the shape of the structure, giving the watershaper almost unlimited flexibility. It's even fair to say that

Along with an increasing demand for large, naturalistic watershapes in both residential and commercial settings has come an unprecedented desire for exceptional water quality in those bodies of water, says George Forni, a specialist in the design, construction and maintenance of lakes, ponds and streams. Here, using several of his projects in northern California as examples, he discusses just what it takes to meet both the demand and the desire.

Free and Clear

Clear, polished water in well-designed, well-built lakes, ponds and streams: What better way to communicate a powerful message about the value of the properties that surround them? In a commercial setting, for example, clear water in a meandering string of ponds will readily translate into office space filled with happy tenants, while the murky-water alternative could be just the eyesore that holds down the image and limits the facility's financial success. The same principle works for watershapes at apartment complexes, where unseemly streams will almost certainly draw complaints from unhappy residents while cool, translucent water will become a point of pride and source of relaxation for tenants who otherwise might reflexively hold their noses as they pass by. Or consider the private estate where ponds are meant for swimming: Without question, these waters must have a crystalline clarity that attests to the water's safety and potential for recreation. Delivering this level of water quality is more and more a part of

When it was decided to upgrade the children’s play area in Boston Common, Copley Wolff Design Group was called in to reshape a space that not only needed to serve the needs of a diverse population, but also had to fit within historic surroundings. This was no small challenge, say landscape architects Lynn Wolff and John Copley, but the resulting Tadpole Playground now charms children (and their parents) with whimsy, art and water.

Little Amphibians

Founded in 1634, Boston Common is the oldest public park in America - a significant and historic public place. It is familiar to us as Bostonians, of course, but we've also been privileged as a firm to have worked there before, when we renovated the park's main watershape, the Frog Pond, to serve as a splash pool in summer and as an ice-skating rink in winter. During the pond renovation, we learned that tackling projects in such storied surroundings can be a tall order. For example, we had to place all of the pond's chillers and pumping equipment underground to mask any obvious intrusion on the 17th-century space. As we approached a second major project - this time the renovation of the park's playground - we knew going in that those who hired us were keenly sensitive to the nature of the place and came armed with preconceptions about colors, images and what would be "appropriate" for the setting. To keep things moving, we worked very closely with the city's Historic Commission in establishing the color palette, procuring artwork and developing an overall plan that would result in a space that was attractive and safe for children and suited to the surroundings. To be sure, the negotiations were intense as we

A room that encloses an indoor swimming pool and does it well – by staying comfortable throughout the year, for starters, while also being easy on the eye – is something truly marvelous, says interior-watershape designer Kevin Ruddy. He addressed the basics of indoor comfort in a recent article; this time, he discusses materials of construction, finishes and what it takes to make pool enclosures stand up to moisture as well as the scrutiny of today’s design-conscious clients.

Interior Dynamics

Designing structures to surround indoor pools offers the watershaper the fundamental challenge of creating an interior space that needs all the functional characteristics of an exterior one. That's so mainly because ordinary residential structures aren't made to enclose anything that even remotely approaches the moisture levels encountered when an indoor pool is surrounded and separated from the open air. This leads to consideration of the air-handing, temperature-control and humidity-related issues covered in another article on this subject (click here), but it almost always leads as well to a need to

A Playful Art

When clients call me in to design their backyards, one of the main things many of them want is a safe environment for their children. I've always thought of myself as a big kid at heart and also look at things as a father, so I've always felt confident and fully prepared meet my clients' desires while creating spaces that really work for kids. How little we sometimes know! After reading A Child's Garden: Enchanting Outdoor Spaces for Children and Parents by Molly Dannenmnaier (Simon & Schuster, 1998), it's now clear to me just how much more can be done in watershape and garden spaces to engage children of all ages. Indeed, this book showed me that there's much, much more to designing for children than

A Rugged-Land Production

Back in November, I described the background of a project on a sprawling estate in the hills near Hanover, Pa. - a spectacular setting for an enormous swimming pool, an island spa, a cascading waterfeature and big expanses of rockwork and stone decking. As was mentioned, our first task was to remove a brand-new system of retaining walls that had been built adjacent to the planned location for the swimming pool. We did so because the wall's large footings reached into a space needed to support a cascade that will appear to tumble into the pool. To ensure

Hard Choices

If I were to ask the average watershaper to name the most versatile element in any landscape, he or she would probably reply by talking about water or plants or some other equally prominent component. If you asked me the same question, however, I'd almost always say rocks. Some of you might be thinking I have a few too many of them rolling around loose in my head, but there's a good explanation for my response. First, rocks come in an infinite number of forms, shapes, compositions, colors, textures and sizes. Second, they can be used to sit on, walk on, retain hillsides or create small mounds. Third, they add dimension to designs and contribute in countless other ways to the

Clear Reflections

Some might say we're enduring the curse of living in interesting times; others might opine that the planet's just plain gone crazy. However you look at it, when you stop to consider what's been going on in the world, in our country and in the economy and how all of that relates to our watershaping corner of the universe, it's easy to see that important trends and even greater forces are constantly sweeping around us. So much is happening that it's often difficult to figure things out, but the most important observation I can make is that not all the news is gloomy - far from it. For a great many watershapers, in fact, business has thrived in recent times and expanded in new and exciting directions. That's so true for some that it's fair to say that there's been little or no time left for reflection. But I would argue that finding time to