2016 Editions (July-December) Archives - Page 2 of 2

THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS

July 27, 2016 www.watershapes.com

FEATURE ARTICLE

Racing to the Finish Line

With winter slowly ending, Barry Justus knew that he had no time to spare in converting this homeowner’s dream of a personal five-star resort into a multi-watershape, party-ready reality. This included the hidden slide and the vanishing television — all on a rigid deadline. [more]

FEATURE ARTICLE

Watching pH

What happens when the water added to a newly plastered pool has had a chance to interact fully with its new surroundings? That’s a big question, writes Kim Skinner — one that has implications for the long-term appearance and maintenance of countless watershapes. [more]

TRAVELOGUE

Don’t Forget the Cupcakes

A lunch meeting in downtown Glendale, Calif., offered Jim McCloskey an unexpected treat in the form of a dazzling fountain set in a compact public courtyard. It’s worth a visit just to bask in the composition’s unusual approachability — and enjoy the tasty treats you’ll find nearby, too! [more]

ESSENTIAL

Light, Space and Water

Contemporary artist Eric Orr and his protégé, Sean So, both use the flow of water to lend texture and bring distinction to basic geometric forms. For them, these small flows embody ‘transformation,’ which stands as the ideological core of the Light and Space Movement they both represent. Here, So explains the tradition and creative essence of the movement and brings it into perspective as part of today’s commercial waterfeature market.

This article, originally published in WaterShapes in September 2003, has been digitized for all readers. Click here to see the full text and enlarge the images to study the craftsmanship in detail.

TECHNICAL BRIEFING

Contractors, Footprints and Dust

The carelessness of contractors from other trades is often a problem on job sites, observes Scott Cohen. To sidestep these issues, he suggests some precautions and preemptive measures while offering tips on working with clients to head off misunderstandings. [more]

WATERSHAPES WORLD

A Timely Proposition

A new program aimed at tracking the progress of learn-to-swim programs is now on the agenda for the National Swimming Pool Foundation. As Jim McCloskey reports here, it’s a great concept with wide-ranging benefits that will keep on giving well into the future. [more]

WE BROWSE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO . . .

Well-Planned Fun Dept.: Pair uses the ‘Coke/Mentos Reaction’ to create an impressive fountain display. [more]

Watch until the end — the show just keeps getting better.

Stormy Weather Dept.: Washington, D.C., downpour creates a waterfall in a most unexpected location. [more]

Doesn’t look like fun. Would Coke and Mentos help?

WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

The View from Inside

When Bruce Zaretsky wrote his On the Level column for July, 2011, he chose to focus on a design issue he saw as being of underappreciated significance for anyone working in the great outdoors. [more]

THE SHOPPING CART

Oase Offers Multi-Function Filtral for Ponds

Oase (Orange, CA) manufactures Filtral UVC, a compact filter with an integrated UV disinfection system and the added functionality of a fountain. Designed for ponds containing 700 to 1,200 gallons of water, the unit also includes filter media that ensures a healthy population of beneficial bacteria — all with very little maintenance. For details, click here.

RenoSys Introduces DuraTech Pool Gratings

RenoSys (Indianapolis, IN) now offers a full range of DuraTech pool gratings to accommodate any pool gutter trench’s width or style — T-bar, I-bar or interlocking. Certified slip-resistant and made of colorfast, UV-resistant polymers, fiberglass, PVC, granite or stainless steel, they are ideal for use in repairing or renovating aquatic facilities. For details, click here.

WPN UPDATE

Collaborating
for a Bigger
Web Presence

Through the years, lots of watershapers have invested extensively in building their own beautiful web sites, then wondered why prospective clients haven’t been beating paths to their doors. The hold-up? It’s a simple fact that building a strong web presence as a stand-alone site is a tough way to go — and that’s precisely why we started the WaterShapes Professional Network.

By building a collective presence in which dozens and, eventually, hundreds of sites participate as an interlinked colossus, we become a group entity the search engines can’t overlook. So if it’s a strong (or stronger) web presence you’re after, check it out.

The Network is working just the way we’d hoped: Click here to climb aboard!

THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS

July 13, 2016 www.watershapes.com

FEATURE ARTICLE

Lofty Inspiration

When a client approaches a designer with something very specific in mind, working out project parameters can be a chore. But in this case, writes Steve Sandalis, the homeowner offered ideas for a backyard pondscape that were fully welcomed — and inspiring indeed! [more]

WHAT IS IT?

#24: Rain Curtain

Homeowners love the water-droplet systems he designs and installs for them, says Mike Farley. But as he advises while introducing this video, their satisfaction with these graceful waterfeatures will last only if he starts his work by keeping one major consideration in mind. [more]

FEATURE ARTICLE

Against the Clock

Faced by a firm deadline and the realities of over-winter construction in Canada, Barry Justus knew he had little time to spare — and a whole lot to accomplish in a few short months if he was to have any hope of completing a grand-scale project in time for a springtime party. [more]

ESSENTIAL

Simple Green

There’s a place in the world, says veteran watershaper Peter Cattano, for relatively modest swimming pools. Using a recently completed ‘garden pool’ to illustrate that point, he describes how great clients, an integrated landscape design, professional cooperation and careful construction can come together to deliver the best of everything swimming pools have to offer, even in a situation where the project’s scope and scale are quite down to earth.

This article, originally published in WaterShapes in January 2010, has been digitized for all readers. Click here to see the full text and enlarge the images to study the craftsmanship in detail.

TRAVELOGUE

A Buccaneer’s Brew

Known locally as ‘Splash,’ the La Mirada Regional Aquatics Facility is a model of creative watershaping and of a city’s large-scale commitment. As Patricia Soto describes it here, the facility is something you should plan on seeing next time you’re in southern California. [more]

WATERSHAPES WORLD

The Power of a Pool

The emergence of ‘river pools’ as a means of addressing city-dwellers’ impulse to swim in ‘natural’ surroundings has been on Jim McCloskey‘s radar for some time now. He sees huge potential here — and in this post defines an opportunity worth striking while the iron’s hot. [more]

WE BROWSE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO . . .

Stupid Human Tricks Dept.: Foolish gent dumps 30 pounds of dry ice in a pool to see what happens. [more]

Carbon dioxide fills the air — and fouls the water chemistry.

Frogs Gone Wild Dept.: A horde of green tree frogs beats the heat by descending upon a Florida pool. [more]

They look like a throng of thrill-seeking spring breakers.

WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

Hearing Voices

Back in July 2006, Brian Van Bower turned his thoughts toward what he described as a missing link in the way watershapers approached the marketplace — and suggested doing something about it. [more]

THE SHOPPING CART

Deck Art from Mountain Laurel Handrail

Mountain Laurel Handrail (Franklin, NC) offers unique deck-railing systems made from real-wood frames filled with natural branches. The materials work outdoors or inside and come in a variety of styles, starting out as red sticks whose color can be preserved with a penetrating, natural-color stain but that will, left alone, weather to a silvery color. For details, click here.

S.R. Smith Launches TX-30 Pool Lighting System

S.R. Smith (Canby, OR) has introduced the TX-30 LED Pool Lighting Kit — a complete lighting system that includes a low-voltage power center and one, two, or three Treo LED pool lights. The lights feature six colors and operate in both fast and slow color-changing modes. The system enclosure is made of corrosion-resistant polycarbonate. For details, click here.

WPN UPDATE

Something
Extra — and
Extra Special

A quick review of the activity of visitors to the WaterShapes Professional Network indicates that the landing pages of each participating company have been viewed an average of 300 times through the past 12 months — and that those landing-page visits have resulted in nearly 150 click-throughs apiece to those companies’ own web sites.

It also shows that the companies that have uploaded project pictorials to the WPN site’s home page have averaged nearly 30 percent more visits and click-throughs compared to other WPN participants. Seems as though putting in a little extra effort translates to a heap of extra interest and leads.

The Network is working just the way we’d hoped: Time to click aboard?