Aquatic Technology

Riding the Tides (25 years of WaterShapes)
Since its debut in February 1999 as an innovative print magazine, WaterShapes has spent the past 25 years exploring the art and science of water – and the oceans of possibilities waiting to be discovered along the way. As Eric Herman shares in this special retrospective, the long journey through the world of water has been its own unique reward.   ...
Steps to a View
Unfolding during the heart of the pandemic, this beautiful remodel in the fabled Hollywood Hills gave JC Escudero an opportunity to work his renovation magic in a truly breathtaking and vintage setting. The result is a pool area that celebrates both the view and the property’s mid-century design. ...
Turning to Revit
As design and construction become ever more dependent on sharing accurate information among project team members, the Revit platform has come to represent the state-of-the-art in modeling and plan-sharing software platforms. Here Rick Chafey shares his company’s journey using the program, and its broad implications. ...
Meet the Water-Quality Manager
Caring for pool water is a sacred trust, says Steve Kenny, a task that exists to ensure the health and safety of anyone and everyone who takes a dip. That’s why he believes it’s time for a new professional designation for those who apply artisan care to their clients water, the Water-Quality Manager. ...
Fine Points: Pipes in Trenches
In this first installment of our new series exploring the “fine points” of watershape construction, Kevin Cobabe gets down to basics about running multiple pipes in trenches. As simple as it seems, he says, there are a handful of key issues that are important to keep top of mind when working beneath your feet. ...
Pool Algae Prevention
Algae are a class of organisms that are essential to life on earth. In a swimming pool, however, they become an affliction that compromises water quality and consumes chemicals. According to Haviland’s Kevin Vlietstra, although there’s an inevitable quality to algae, prevention is always the best treatment option.    ...
Understanding Colloidal Silicates
Products based on colloidal silicates have been used for decades as a way to increase the strength of concrete and other cementitious materials. Now being marketed as a way to stave off common plaster problems in swimming pools, it’s helpful to take a clear look at what these products can and cannot do. ...
Essential Digital Modeling
There is no question the bar for visual presentations has been raised dramatically in recent years. 3D modeling programs have transformed the way that watershape and landscape designs are created and sold. That’s why Watershape University is offering a new course aimed at elevating digital presentation skillsets. ...
Chlorine (a reactive history)
Swimming pools and chlorine have been synonymous for more than a century. Even today as alternative sanitizers and technologies designed to reduce, or some say eliminate, the use of chlorine, gain market share, products based on this most familiar element remain the workhorse of recreational water treatment. ...
Indoor Water & Air Quality (part I)
Indoor pools, known as natatoriums, are notorious for bad air quality. These facilities are unique in the world of design, construction and maintenance because they contain open bodies of water. In this two-part series, Eric Knight describes the basic framework for maintaining quality water and air in these special aquatic spaces.  ...