DETAIL I510: Waterline Tile
While many watershapers discuss the challenges of water-in-transit edge details, we can't ignore the complexity of the traditional tiled waterline, says Dave Peterson. The concept has been around before any of us were born but materials have changed and what was once considered mundane has become a topic of discussion again – particularly in light of waterproofing considerations. ...
Watershape University Introduces Academic Portal and University Management System
Accessing the spectrum of Watershape University’s educational opportunities and certification is now just a few keystrokes away. The first of its kind for the industry, WU’s new Academic Portal and University Management System is up and running and ready to provide students with a host of convenient program features. ...
Finished to Perfection
There are projects in which the design details define every phase of the work from excavation to the interior finish. As builder Dave Penton explains here, this dazzling watershape was one of those where precise tolerances and creative execution led to a setting worthy of the stars.     ...
Safety in the Surf
Safety in pools is always a troublesome and critical issue for the watershaping industry. But what about water safety in open waters? Eric Herman has some important thoughts on the matter, a set of beliefs that started when he saw a fellow teen lose his life back in 1976. ...
A Well of Compassion
Caring for the less fortunate, while at the same time building pools for the affluent, provides a striking contrast explains Matthew Batista Naylor. Serving the “houseless” people of Palm Springs, Calif., is a crusade for many concerned local citizens but it has also pitted Naylor and an organization known as “Well in the Desert” against local politicians who he says have demonstrated a stunning lack of compassion for those who need it most. ...
The Uncommon Garden
For more than two decades, watershape designer and builder Ryan Oakes has leant his talents to the ongoing creation of a place known as “The Uncommon Garden” located in Chapel Hill, N.C. Here he takes us on walk through the history of a space so unique, whimsical and imaginative that it defies convenient description – and, yes, it does feature dragons.   ...
Advancing Aquatic Education
In its continuing campaign to support professionalism in all facets of the watershaping industry, Watershape University is joining forces with the Association of Aquatic Professionals (AoAP) and the Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code (CMAHC) and is set to offer a menu of presentations at the AoAP’s Conference & Exposition this coming February. ...
Hanging Rain Chains
The world of commercial watershaping can be a far cry from residential work, says Rick Chafey. It requires a completely different mindset and rigor when it comes to working in a team environment with far more stringent requirements for permitting, engineering and oftentimes on-site adjustments. The tricky water feature pictured here, he says, was a perfect example. ...
The Life of Streams
Streams are about movement, journeys and experience. They create connections within the landscape and they even tell stories. As Anthony Archer Wills explains, designing and building streams is a form of watershaping that is best realized when based on keen understandings of nature, narrative and motion. ...
Transporting Water
In his recent feature, “Defeating Drought,” Eric Herman sought to provoke an important conversation about the future of water supplies in areas prone to shortages. As the reservoir levels continue to drop in the wester U.S., one builder offers his view on a path, or more accurately a pipeline, that he believes we should follow. ...