Above the Mendoza Line
What does it mean to be successful, to move in a positive direction or at least feel good about a day’s work, and time spent? These questions have been on Eric Herman’s mind lately, and he’s turned to a baseball term to try to figure out the answers. ...
Custom Hybrids
Do custom pools always have to be built out of concrete? According to Oregon watershaper, Phoenix B. Owens, the evolution in package pools and stainless-steel wall systems, as well as vinyl liners, enables his company to match the creativity of shotcrete installations using alternative construction methods with more than a small dose of imagination. ...
Finding Flaw & Future Favor
What does it mean to create something that qualifies as “great”? Is it originality and inventiveness, reliability and function, or the ability to withstand the test of time, or all of those? Here Jeff Freeman & Mark Holden dissect that question with a look at the rehabilitation of a truly iconic and complex fountain system at the Los Angeles Music Center. ...
The Key to Collaboration
Designer Randy Angell believes in the power of working together, a value he learned as a kid singing in choirs. Today, he applies the idea of synergistic creativity to his design practice, bringing a team together to create unique environments based on a collection of talents working as one.    ...
Thinking With Your Eyes
French designer Logan Guinard relocated nearly 6,000 miles from his home to establish a career in California’s Coachella Valley. He came with faith in himself, a design education, practical experience but little else. In just two years, he has become established as a designer working for high-end clients who want only the best. ...
Cold Water Swimming: Benefits and Risks
Cold-water swimming has a long tradition in northern countries and regions where people have adapted to the cold. In this excerpted academic article, there can be profound benefits, and it can also be deadly. With the popularity of the frigid extreme sport on the rise, understanding the possible effects has become a subject receiving greater scientific attention. ...
Detail P850: Surge Basin Drain Design
In WaterShapes’ most recent Beneath the Surface, Dave Peterson described and diagramed suction outlet fittings assemblies (SOFAs) for pool and spa applications, a topic also covered by Steve Barnes in a recent Wolfpack Webinar Wednesday. This time the focus shifts to suction in surge tanks, where safety isn’t the concern, but debris certainly is.    ...
Beautiful Wet or Dry
Watershaping and water shortages are a problematic combination, and one that can require significant levels of adaption. According to Dave Garton, working the water-strapped Colorado market has meant creating features that look just as good dry as they do when in full flow. The best place to start, he says, is studying how nature looks when waters run dry. ...
Small Pools, Big Appeal
The enjoyment of soaking is universal, say Karen Larson and Brian Larson, or at least it has that potential. The founders of New Hampshire’s Soake Pools set out to offer a concept that combines the health benefits of immersion in hot or cold water, with the convenience of compact, pre-manufactured concrete pools, a business concept that has steadily gained momentum over the past seven years. ...
Back to Trade Shows
When trade shows resume, will attendees return as well? It’s hard to know for sure, says Eric Herman, but as he points out, it’s very likely that the industry is about to find out. The first big test looks to be the upcoming International Pool | Spa | Patio & Deck EXPO set for Dallas in November, where organizers are betting on pent-up demand to overcome reluctance to attend in-person events. ...