ARTICLES Archives - Page 313 of 316

Arriving at Common Ground

There was a time not long ago when the thought processes of swimming pool and spa designers and contractors stopped at the edge of the deck - or even at the

‘When you install a pond, you install a lifestyle,’ says Greg Wittstock, proclaiming the universal appeal of ponds, the variety of settings in which they can be placed and the huge range of aesthetic options available to consumers. In this pictorial, he shares some of the many projects his company has completed, pointing out along the way the simple power found in these living watershapes.

Waterfeatures may well be the hottest thing in landscaping today, and the reason is simple: No other landscape detail captures all the senses the way moving water does. I don't get the impression that people sit around for hours watching their tulips grow, for example, but I know for a fact that people who have ponds in their yards will sit for hours, with others or in solitude, drinking in the scene and communing with the koi and the water lilies. In that sense, ponds have more to offer than the average waterfeature: A pond's live component adds interest and touches of tranquility that work in countless settings, from backyards and corporate offices to dining terraces and the common areas in apartment complexes. The possibilities are

Designing for hydraulic balance and efficiency is critical for any watershape, but nowhere is it more important than with inground concrete spas. Indeed, laying out these projects offers plumbers an unmatched level of complexity – and an outcome that will be permanently enshrined in concrete. You can knock the challenge down to size, says hydraulics expert Steve Gutai, by paying close attention to the fundamentals.

Hydraulics in Hot Water

Of all the features associated with inground swimming pools, attached spas almost certainly have the most complex designs. Achieving proper hydrotherapy-jet action requires the interweaving of air lines, water lines, fittings, jets and associated pumps, blowers and motors in a way that delivers results the customer wants and expects. And making mistakes is definitely costly: Once the plumbing is set in concrete, there's no easy way of turning back. The bottom line: You have to get it right the first time! Yes, you can adjust inground systems, but it usually involves ripping out expanses of decking and chunks of the spa shell at the very least - definitely not activities that breed customer satisfaction. It's a high-stakes game, but all too often I see pool builders take an ill-advised roll of the dice by not doing the work ahead of time to make sure the

Driven in part by the popularity of waterslides and the resulting explosion of attendance at waterparks, aquatic designers are being pressed to rise to the challenge of creating interesting public pool facilities for recreation-oriented communities. So much so, says architect Holli Adams, that traditional public pools are being rethought and completely transformed with ideas of both flexibility and fun in mind.

Public Forms and Functions

These aren't our parents' public pools. Whether run by a city or by a county, these recreational facilities are now subject to a new set of rules in response to evolving consumer demand and the growing popularity of elaborate waterparks. The inert, rectangular pools of years past - ten or 12 feet deep at one end, three or four feet deep at the other - are fast being replaced by multi-faceted, multi-purpose, quasi-organic forms that appeal to users of all ages and abilities. The new designs incorporate large

It’s often said that what you don’t know can hurt you – and that’s seldom truer than when the unknown in question has to do with the soil and geologic conditions that underlie watershapes. On hillsides in particular but even on certain flatlands, say prominent engineering geologists Larry Parmelee and Larry Schick, accommodating the forces at work beneath the surface is critical for professionals working to maximize the integrity and longevity of their installations.

Powerful Grounds

If you're in the business of digging holes, lining them with steel and concrete and then filling them with water, you need to know that the ground will support the structures. That's particularly true of hillside areas, but the same can be said of areas with high water tables, expansive soils or improperly compacted fill - to name just a few. We've all heard the horror stories of distressed vessels, including pools and spas out of level, significant structural shell cracks and differential movement between the decking and the shell. As we see it, part of the problem is that many pools are simply built with too low a structural tolerance for the stresses to which they

Among the most critical considerations in watershape design, says Skip Phillips, is establishing the relationship between the water and the structure that surrounds it. In other words, it’s all about edges – edges that vanish, edges on angles, recessed edges and more. And whether his purpose is to accentuate the edge or make it disappear, the effects he strives for at these boundaries are the true hallmark of his recent work.

Gaining an Edge

I've spent a lot of time in the past few years thinking about the things that generate the most interest in what we do as pool builders - and even more time turning those thoughts into designs and effects that meet my customers' desires. Once I started down this path, there was no way to turn back: There's a market out there at the high end that most pool builders never even approach, and breaking through with these clients takes persistence, skill and talent. As important, it also takes a willingness to stop looking at pools, spas and waterfeatures in the context of traditions and conventions that just don't line up with the needs or expectations that these customers at the highest levels have these days. These are customers who won't settle for the ordinary. They won't accept plans that stick

Ben Franklin, Electrician

Why does the current flow? That was the question we left on the table at the end of our last session. We had pretty well nailed down the ampere as being the basic unit of measurement of electric current, in that it describes the quantity of flow of electrons from one place to another. We were about to examine the volt, the ohm and the watt when the current-flow question arose to command our attention. To get a firm handle on this, we are forced to backtrack a bit. Actually, we have to go back a long, long way - about 60 million years, to when a particular species of pine-like trees grew along the Baltic coast. Over the millennia, the resin from those trees became fossilized, producing the beautiful, beer-colored material called anbar by the

Size Does Matter

Surely you've heard this line before and never believed it, but I'm here to tell you that size does matter. Have you ever, for example, built a pond or fountain with concrete either surrounding it or fanning out from it beneath the soil - and then had your clients say they wanted a very mature tree or shrub planted right up against the edge? There you are with six inches of soil (maximum!) to work with, and there's just no way to

Solid Foundations

When it comes to just about anything that matters in life, whether personal or professional, the difference between success and failure is often your mindset and the attitude you bring to each situation, event or occasion. That's a huge generalization, but it's something I consider each and every time I prepare myself for something important - such as meeting a prospective pool client face to face for the very first time. I know at times like this that my performance will be determined by how I feel and that how I feel will directly influence

Beginning with the Finish

Back in August 1989, I experienced my first day in a brand-new job covering pools and spas for one of the industry's trade magazines. My first assignment: attend a meeting of