ARTICLES Archives - Page 304 of 326

It’s time for a return visit to Cima del Mundo, the 50-acre estate in the hills above Montecito, Calif., that we first visited a year ago. Last time, we took a look at the design and construction of the courtyard’s central fountain, now complete. This time, we join landscape architect/contractor/watershaper Mark Holden to catch up on progress with another key feature: a new pool and spa that look as though they might have been built with the home in 1925.

Cresting Perfection

A grand California estate deserves a grand pool, and Cima del Mundo is certainly no exception. The new pool is part of a project that involves the complete renovation of a classic estate in the hills of Montecito, a prosperous enclave just south of Santa Barbara, Calif. In keeping with the overall theme of the project, which was described in detail in "The Crest of the World" (WaterShapes, January/February 2001, page 32), the pool has been outfitted with thoroughly

Making People Places

One of the first books about landscape architecture I ever read was Gardens Are for People by Thomas Church, a designer justly famous for changing the way exterior spaces are treated today - especially in the residential environment. This book was first published in 1953, but a second edition (published in 1983 by Reinhold Publishing Corp.) is still widely available in bookstores and on the Internet. The 250-plus-page book traces Church's long career, which started in California in the 1930s and lasted through the late '70s and almost to his death in 1978. His great gift was taking the art of landscape architecture and applying it to the masses. Before him, landscape architecture was

The Currency of Beauty

For many people in the watershaping trades, client relationships begin with selling and never really advance beyond that stage. For me, however, it's not about selling per se; instead, it's about creating a sense of collaboration and building a foundation of mutual trust and understanding. In fact, the work I do in establishing these creative relationships with my clients may well be the most important "detail" of all. In a sense, watershaping isn't a job to me. It's my passion, which explains why I'm so obsessed with

The Most Natural Companion

Images of waterways almost anywhere in the world are filled with gentle sweeps of free-flowing grasses swaying in the breezes or simply lazing by the water's edge. From a watershaper's perspective, these grasses are arguably the most versatile of all plant materials. In one form or another, they exist and thrive in almost every environment in the world. They can be used by themselves to lend a natural feeling to a stream or pond, next to a contemporary watershape to make a bold statement or nestled among almost any other plants in any landscape style to soften and add texture. One of the best things about grasses (particularly the taller ones) is how gracefully they wave in the wind, adding an element of

Education of Litigation?

One of my least favorite activities is testifying as an expert witness in legal disputes over watershaping projects gone awry. As a rule, I try to stay out of courtrooms for any reason, but from time to time, I reluctantly agree to offer my opinion as a witness if I think I can help generate a fair outcome. Despite my best intentions, however, I seldom see it as time well spent. The process is often stressful, and I know deep down, regardless of who's right and who's wrong, that lawsuits are

Passion Plays

I'm often asked what it takes to write an article for WaterShapes - and, almost as often, why it is that certain voices find their way into print while others don't. I love to field these questions, because they

For more than two decades, California artist Rafe Affleck has been combining the crisp rigidity of stainless steel with the shimmering reflectivity of flowing water to create a substantial and distinctive body of work. His sculptures, in which liquid is much, much more than a mere accent to metal, grace dozens of commercial, public and private spaces, in every case making bold statements that puzzle, delight, sooth or inspire those who pass by.

Liquid Mettle

From the beginning of my career as a sculptor, I've mostly given myself over to two simple elements - metal and water - and have tried to develop approaches that turn one into an extension of the other. I like the sense that a sheet of flowing water completes the simple stainless steel shapes I create. I also like to play with illusion by creating the impression that the water appears to come from nowhere. And I like getting involved in the hydraulics of laminar flow by making the water emerge from steel as a smooth, cohesive sheet. In a sense, I draw constant inspiration from

Texas watershaper Tom Moneta is one who believes that vanishing-edge effects are just too good to be limited to use on swimming pools and fountains. So he and the designers at Leisure Living Pools have spent the past few years perfecting ‘vanishing-edge spas’ – vessels that neatly combine the decorative qualities of waterfeatures with the therapeutic joys of bubbling hot water.

On the Hot Edge

Increasing numbers of our clients are asking for more from their watershapes - so many, in fact, that we're seeing an unprecedented blurring of the lines between swimming pools, spas and the full range of decorative waterfeatures. This demand is particularly strong in one area: In addition to projects that are functional, our clients want them to be visually compelling as well. This need has inspired designers at our firm (and elsewhere) to new levels of creativity. In certain instances, we at Leisure Living Pools in Frisco, Texas, have answered the call with spa designs that

Even for a firm that specializes in massive natural-stone watershapes, this Pennsylvania project was one for the record books. Working for an enthusiastic client who demanded beauty and visual drama on a truly enormous scale, the staff at Glacier Inc. stepped well beyond the usual in renovating a 78-acre private lake while creating a long, cascading stone stream and waterfall – with a grotto thrown in for good measure.

Up on Rocky Top

When you work on projects in which stone is commonly measured in the thousands of tons and streams are frequently described in fractions of miles, you're not easily impressed by size. This job, however, was remarkably vast - a project driven by creative passion and a client's desire to turn a singular vision into reality. It's the kind of opportunity that doesn't come along every day, and when it did, we knew we'd have to give it everything we had. Our company, Glacier Inc. of Glenshaw, Pa., is a design and construction firm specializing in large natural and naturalistic bodies of water, and most of our work includes

Sometimes, watershaping projects flow smoothly from start to finish. Other times, however, the path to integrating setting, hardscape, plants and water within bounds of the clients’ desires and budget can be quite complicated. The project seen here falls into the second category, says designer Kathy Marosz, but 18 months of communication, revision and compromise eventually resulted in a tapestry rich in color, texture, style and sound.

Custom Integrations

I'm always looking for projects where I'm brought in to design the entire exterior environment, complete with hardscape, planting plans and watershapes. Working this way gives me a straight shot at integrating all of these major elements into cohesive designs that fit the setting. But I believe in collaboration, too, and in giving interested clients an opportunity to participate in the process. I listen carefully to what they say, factor in their budgets and then start working toward a suitable design. This integrated approach often requires intensive and extensive interaction with homeowners. Through it all, I'm flexible - but I'm also confident in my abilities, experience and expertise and generally end up installing something that closely matches my sense of the way things should be. When it works, everything goes smoothly. In the case of the project pictured in these pages, however, the process has been much more involved and is, 18 months into it, still ongoing in