ARTICLES Archives - Page 279 of 314

Almost Too Easy

It's a wonderful coincidence and a rare opportunity: From October 30 through November 3, the American Society of Landscape Architects will hold its 2003 meeting and exposition in New Orleans, followed the next day - in the very same city and in the very same convention center - by the

More than two years of paying full-time attention to thousands of tiny details: That’s what this project was all about, says landscape architect, Contractor and watershaper Mark Holden – not to mention close collaboration with a determined client who inspired Holden to reach for levels of craft, creativity and practical improvisation that have informed his approaches to design, construction and watershaping in every project since.

Classic Persuasion

For more than two full years, this project was my personal and professional obsession. It all started in 1993, when my client, a wealthy recording-industry magnate, called on me to design the landscape for a property he'd just acquired in Bel Air, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The Spanish Colonial-style home had been built in the 1920s and was in a sad state of disrepair. By the time I arrived, it had been gutted to the studs, and very nearly all of the hardscape and plantings around the house had been torn out as well. What he was offering me was a tantalizingly blank canvas in a most spectacular setting. In the two years that followed, not only would we

Making Connections

From pools, spas and fountains to streams, ponds and waterparks, effective watershaping is largely about the plumbing that makes these systems work. If you see things that way, says hydraulics expert Steve Gutai, there's nothing more fundamental to success than making proper connections in the system's plumbing lines, first time, every time, and piping joints that will bear up under pressure for the long haul.

In creating sculptures and watershapes inspired by local history, geography and natural features, public artist Ross Miller aims to delight and soothe all passersby while especially rewarding those who see a deeper meaning. Whether the water in these compositions is vigorous and crashing or gentle and vaporous, he says, his goal is to shape spaces that celebrate local heritage and enrich the spirit of their communities.

Public Interests

At its most basic, public art creates spaces in which people experience art without paying hard-earned dollars to own it or going to a museum or gallery to see it. Public art is also about giving everyone within eyeshot new types of experiences amid their daily routines. Perhaps it's an object they'll pass on the way to the subway or an environment they'll spot out of the corner of an eye as they drive to the grocery store. Maybe it's a place where people gather to eat lunch or a landmark for arranging meetings with friends. Whether it's familiar to the viewer or sneaks up unexpectedly, the work becomes

Exterior Collaborations

Amazing things can happen when great architects think beyond the walls and tackle exterior design as part of their projects. That's a message that comes through loud and clear and repeatedly in Susan Zevon's Outside Architecture (Rockport Publishers, 1999). Throughout the book's 190 generously illustrated pages, she covers the work of 18 architects - using multiple examples from each while focusing not so much on individual projects but rather on key features, styles and design philosophies that cut across the range of the fine work on display. About three quarters of the projects are residential and range stylistically from classic to modern at locations scattered across the United States and Mexico. Nearly all of the architects were new

A California Classic

Take it from someone who has ripped out and replaced more than his share of old and failed swimming pools through the years: Some things are worth keeping! That's why it's so wonderful to find an old pool - a product of the industry's infancy - that has stood the test of time and has won the right to be left in place. This is the first in a series of columns on one such pool. It's also the start of a story about clients who appreciate art and style and have surrounded themselves with objects and spaces of true value and beauty. I knew right away that

Variegated Selections

Out of all the varieties I mentioned in last month's discussion of maples, my favorite was (and still is) the variegated maple. Beyond the simply spectacular nature of that particular tree, what I love most about them is their variegated leaves. This is clearly a personal preference. In fact, I've come across many clients and friends who have a specific disdain for variegated

Neat and Clean

Perception is reality: Regardless of whether that's right or wrong, you are judged by appearances. And there's no escaping those judgments because it's basic human nature. If your own appearances mean ugly-looking vehicles, sloppy-looking employees, shabby offices and job sites that look like disaster areas, you will inevitably be judged with that image by the clients who have hired you and by anyone else exposed to those appearances. Personally, I'd rather have them focus on the quality of my work rather than on superficialities such as these, but

Historic Resonance

Occasionally, we run pairs or sets of articles that seem to have nothing in common at first glance, but that actually, on closer examination, harmonize in unexpected and important ways. To be sure, we quite deliberately revisit key themes throughout the pages of all of our issues, but sometimes, it seems, the most powerful music

Ground Work

There's no room for guesswork when it comes to structural engineering, says Ron Lacher of Pool Engineering, Inc., and that's especially true when it comes to concrete structures designed to contain water. Here, he opens a series on structural fundamentals related to watershapes by defining the need for precise structural planning and careful attention to workmanship - the keys, he says, to achieving a project's aesthetic and functional goals. Despite the apparent intricacy of any good set of engineering drawings and contrary to what many people think, structural plans for concrete watershapes are pretty cut and dried. At the most basic level, the art and science of structural engineering deals with predictable forces placed upon structures and with the construction techniques and materials required to counteract those forces. The basic mathematic calculations are straightforward stuff, and everything runs in accordance with building codes that