Professional Watershaping

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. ...
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.    ...
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. ...
Fluid Instruction
As in-person education continues to stumble as a result of the pandemic, Watershape University continues to develop new on-line instructional offerings. Extensive Programs covering construction, engineering, cost estimating, along with dozens of other topics in our weekly Wednesday Webinar series are all designed to give watershapers the information needed to advance in today’s unusual market. ...
Detail P401: Suction Outlet Configurations
Drains, or more accurately, suction outlets, should be easily understood. Setting up safe and code-compliant outlet configurations involves simple plumbing with no moving parts, and it requires a relatively straightforward coordination of outlet sizing to maximum flow rate. But, as Dave Peterson explains, some builders are still getting it wrong. Fortunately, this simple detail can help many get it right. ...
The Challenge of Saying “No”
Watershape designer, landscape architect and educator, Jason Brownlee, is typically in the habit of embracing the opportunities that come his way. But as he explains here, sometimes saying no, or at least, not now, is the more beneficial response. That’s especially true in the current market where the demand is pushing watershapers in all categories to their practical limits. ...