ARTICLES Archives - Page 69 of 314

Faced with what he saw as a clear need to simplify the task of choreographing dancing fountains, Scott Palamar applied what he knew about control technology to the problem -- and the result is an approach that makes both new and old waterfeatures dance to a fresh beat.

Shall We Dance?

Picture this: A seaside fountain in which jets of water are arrayed and programed to emulate a Pacific Ocean swell. It's designed as a mirror to existing conditions, using real-time ocean-observation data to determine the exact timing and height of the fountain's jet sequence. Or this: An installation scheduled by its managers to function as an interactive-play fountain at certain times of the day when children are likeliest to be present, or as a musical/performing fountain in the evenings or at other times when the property owner's desire is to entertain and help people relax. Or this: A fountain that

Working on a steeply sloping site above a Texas lake, Mike Farley ran into a bizarre local rule that knocked him back a couple steps -- literally. But that episode didn't keep him from providing his clients and their kids with more fun and features than they had ever imagined possible.

Dual Jewels

One of the important lessons I learned as a young watershaper is that I am not a surveyor. Working on a pool design in the hills south of California's Napa Valley many, many years ago, I found myself on a sloping lot, broke out my line level and figured I could, with some patience and care, map all of the relevant elevations and develop a suitable design based on my observations of the contours. As it turned out, I was

Modern Times

If you're like me and see life as a weird balance of the tragic and the comic, I have a couple stories tailor-made for you. First the comic - and forgive me for its reference to a component of male anatomy: "When the Dutch city of Leeuwarden

The pool and its spa may have simple shapes, says Jimmy Reed, but when they're finished as boldly as these are with glass and stone tile and custom-cut granite edging, you learn fast that basic contours pose unique challenges when it comes to producing visually flawless surfaces.

A Simple Marvel

If I've learned anything through the years, it's that a successful, truly satisfying project generally requires a good client and, quite often, a great project team. What the good client was after in the project discussed here was pretty simple - that is, an oval-shaped pool to go along with a large, oval-shaped shade structure another contractor was to install alongside it. Making a fine start, the client called in Skip Phillips of

Words matter, says Paolo Benedetti, so he asks everyone to stop referring to 'waterproof concrete.' Yes, you can coat it or add things to the mix to make it impermeable, but no, without help, not even the best-formulated, densest batch will be able to keep water at bay -- and here's why.

Concrete’s Nature

No matter the method by which it is applied, concrete is a fascinating material. The history books tell us that it's been in use for thousands of years - as far back as 6500 BC, when it was used by Bedouins to make cisterns in which they collected and kept water underground in desert climates. The ancient Greeks used concrete, too, as did the Assyrians and especially

Working in remote locations is not uncommon, but as Ed Beaulieu relates here, moving a whole crew of U.S. pond-installation experts to a South American city to build three huge watershapes was a test of everything he knows about people, logistics and project management.

Foreign Correspondence

In any large-scale watershaping project, managing the logistics has a way of becoming the most important task of all. In the case under discussion here, that might even be an understatement when you weigh all of the complicating factors. First, the job site was located in central Colombia, in the foothills of South America's Andes mountain range. Second, that locale is essentially a tropical rainforest, and when it wasn't pouring by the bucketful, it was crushingly hot and humid. Third, ours is a North American company that works with its own products and has no distribution in Colombia. And there's more: To get the job done, we knew we

Water Warnings

The summer swim season has arrived, which means I've spent the last week or two coping with the annual flood of stories about how awful and threatening water can be. No matter whether a given story focuses on pools, spas or some other body of water, these items warn people who like to dunk themselves to play, cool off, relax or

Maximizing Exposures

‘I take a lot of pictures of my work – so many, in fact, that friends and colleagues often tease me about it.’ That’s how David Tisherman opened his Details column of June 2003, broaching a subject near and dear to his heart. ‘[W]hat may seem like an obsession to others seems like good, commonsense business practice to me. In fact,’ he continued, ‘I believe that every single designer and builder involved in the creation of quality watershapes should record his or her work photographically – and should make a point of doing so in a way that

The pool and spa have simple shapes, notes Jimmy Reed, but when you're working on a piece of art with an all-tile finish and special stone details, you learn that basic shapes pose unique challenges in design, construction and tile application.

Test For Speed

If I've learned anything through the years, it's that a successful, truly satisfying project generally requires a good client and, quite often, a great project team. What the good client was after in the project discussed here was pretty simple - that is, an oval-shaped pool to go along with a large, oval-shaped shade structure another contractor was to install alongside it. Making a fine start, the client called in Skip Phillips of

Considering Small Spaces

‘Whenever I receive a call for an initial meeting about a potential project,’ began Stephanie Rose in her Natural Companions column of May 2003, ‘I always envision – before the client ever opens his or her mouth – that I will be adorning a multi-acre estate with a classic garden that will someday be written about in books and examined by