Professional Watershaping

Defusing Disputes
While lawsuits and expert witnessing has become an unfortunate cottage industry for the watershaping industry, long-time mediator and watershaper, Curt Straub, urges professionals and their clients to think in terms of “alternative dispute resolution” methods ahead of turning to civil court action. Doing so, he says, saves time, money and frustration. ...
Aqua Lupus Superbia
As the New Year dawns, WaterShape University is preparing to take the industry by storm with a roster of dynamic educational events, in person and online. WUs manifesto and overall approach to educating the industry is steeped in the tradition of the wolfpack and a commitment to elevating the watershaping industry’s rank and file. ...
Remembering Bob Lowry
For more than 50 years, pioneering industry chemist, Robert W. Lowry, worked to raise the pool-service industry’s knowledge of water chemistry maintenance, becoming of the best-known educators in the history of the industry. A long-time friend and colleague, Eric Herman, pays tribute to Lowry and remembers the first time they met.   ...
WU Steps Forward in Dallas
Watershape University rolled into Dallas, Tex., for the 2021 International Pool|Spa|Patio and Deck Expo in Dallas, Tex., Nov. 13-18 at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center with high expectations for a strong showing for the industry’s first return to major trade shows since the beginning of the pandemic. The event would prove an almost unqualified success. ...
Remembering Grant Smith
Watershaper Grant Smith passed away in his sleep on November 15th, leaving behind a legacy of honor, artistry, and leadership. Through his company, Aqua Link Pools & Spas, Grant was a frequent collaborator among the WU community and the watershaping industry at large. ...
Appearing in Dallas
Watershape University is set to present a dynamic slate of educational opportunities at the 2021 International Pool|Spa|Patio and Deck Expo in Dallas, Tex., Nov. 13-18 at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. ...
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. ...