2020 Editions (January-June) Archives - Page 2 of 2

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

January 22, 2020 www.watershapes.com

FEATURE ARTICLE

Big Ideas, Small Space

The yard was quite long and narrow, and so was the tightly confined access path. ButScott Cohenhas enough experience in dealing with compact backyards that he’s always ready, as he demonstrates here, to deliver a design that suits the space — and his client’s expectations.[more]

FEATURE ARTICLE

Team Building

He’s no stranger to big commercial projects, butKurt Kraisingerconsiders this one unique. Here’s a look at the design he developed for a plaza space that realized the ambitions of the office building’s owner while satisfying the desires of tenants who’d ultimately use the space. [more]

TRAVELOGUE

Mountain’s Majesty

A detour on a long road trip through the western United States carriedJim McCloskeyto Colorado Springs, Colo. — just the place to see a watershape that had been on his bucket list for years. It’s a bold, spectacular fountain, well worth a visit if you find yourself in the vicinity. [more]

ESSENTIAL

Public Light

As is the case in every aspect of the design of spaces intended for public use, the development of lighting systems for parks, plazas, resorts or historical sites requires increased attention to a series of creativity-thwarting factors including cost, durability and safety, says lighting-design guruJanet Lennox Moyer. Here, she offers insights into what it takes to go beyond those basic needs and truly bring public places to life once the sun goes down.

This article, originally published inWaterShapesin January 2006, has been digitized for all readers. Clickhereto see the full text and enlarge the images to study the craftsmanship in detail.

TECHNICAL BRIEFING

Stream-Lined Effects

For all of the aesthetic considerations that come with crafting a stream, the fact is that man-made waterways must function properly. Here,Rick Andersonaddresses this practical/technical part of the picture, covering liner placement, plumbing and equipment installation. [more]

WATERSHAPES WORLD

Finding Hope

Looking back on two major trends he had followed for years,Jim McCloskeycame to the sudden realization that they were actually part of one grand set of ideas — and that a newly formed foundation has the potential to focus those concepts into an all-encompassing movement. [more]

WE BROWSE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO . . .

Words to the Wise Dept.:Article defines seven healthy reasons to get yourself into a swimming pool. [more]

It’s so compelling that evenScientific Americanlinked to it.

Weird Watershapes Dept.: Manufacturer fills clear plastic guitar bodies with water and sells them for $500. [more]

Who really cares how they sound? Theylook totallycool!

WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

Deficits of Trust

In his first Aqua Culture column of 2010,Brian Van Bowermade personal declarations about the value of trust — and invited fellow watershapers to consider ways of building it for themselves and their clients. [more]

THE SHOPPING CART

CMP Offers Unblockable Ring Drains

CMP(Newnan, GA) has introduced 20-inch-diameter unblockable ring drains. Designed for VGB compliance, the high-flow units are available in white, gray, black, dark gray, tan or dark blue to blend into popular finishes, and the pipe connections (single or dual ports) are on the ring’s edge, so the interior circle is easily filled with plaster, pebbles or tile. For details, click here.

S.R. Smith Offers Fiber-to-LED Conversion Kits

S.R. Smith(Canby, OR) offers PT-6001 and PT-6002 fiber-to-LED conversion kits to update Fiberstars 6004/2004 fiberoptic illuminators. PT-6001 is a single 60-watt, one-circuit unit; PT-6002 is a dual 60-watt, two-circuit unit that features synced or independent circuit control. Both are designed for safety, easy installation and dependable performance. For details, click here.

WPN UPDATE

How’s Your

Web Profile?

If you design and/or build pools, spas, fountains, ponds, streams, waterfalls or other forms of contained, controlled water, you have a proven ability to create projects of great beauty. But how do you spread the word about your skills and talents to those who might want you to help them make water part of their daily lives?

TheWaterShapes Professional Networkcan help you there. We’vebuilt a web site where dozens of designers and builders of watershapes of all types participate as an Internet collective — a grouped entity large enough and interrelated in ways that make search engines treat all participants with respect. So if it’s a strong (or even just a stronger) web presence you’re after, please do take a look and get involved.

TheNetworkis working just the way we’d hoped: Time toclickaboard?

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

January 8, 2020 www.watershapes.com

WATERSHAPES WORLD

So What’s Up?

Lots of questions have arisen since the announcement of the sale of WaterShapes in November 2019 . AsJim McCloskeyreports here, big changes will be few — but opportunities for exploiting the synergies between the deal’s partners areboundlessas the New Year begins. [more]

FEATURE ARTICLE

Begin Again

When these clients originally made contact, they were after a renovation. But onceRyan Hughessaw the site and the plan and considered what the homeowners really wanted, he persuaded them to start from scratch and work with him in creating the bayfront poolscape of their dreams.[more]

FEATURE ARTICLE

Making Edges Vanish

As a veteran watershape engineer,Dave Petersonhas reviewed plans for countless vanishing-edge projects. Along the way, he’s developed a preference for a specific approach to angling the top of the edge wall, offering guidance here that applies in nearly every case.[more]

POND INSIGHTS

Wilma’s Baubles

Of all the visual offenses perpetrated by pond installers, there’s one that upsets Dave Garton more than any other. Here, he offers several reasons for why it’s something he encounters with such frequency, then discusses ways to avoid having it happen in the first placee.[more]

ESSENTIAL

Helping Hands

As architects and environmental artists, the lateSuzanne

andRon Dirsmithalways took pride in creating spaces that nurture the spirit, mind and body. In one specific project, however, they went several steps beyond that in setting up a watershape for a special child who uses water exercise to gain strength, flexibility and freedom. Here’s a look at how they accommodated his needs — and learned a great deal about the healing power of water in the process.

This article, originally published inWaterShapesin July 2003, has been digitized for all readers. Clickhereto see the full text and enlarge the images to study the craftsmanship in detail.

TRAVELOGUE

Classical Influences

For many years,David Tishermanhas urged designers to travel and see architecture, art and ancient ruins in their own contexts. It’s a great way to pick up ideas and develop a sense of your place in design history, so why not do as he suggests, pack your bags and head to Asia Minor? [more]

WE BROWSE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO . . .

Tour de Force Dept.:This look at 38 pools (both natural and manmade) can help you fill your bucket list. [more]

So many places to visit, so much dip-worthy beauty!

Makes You Think Dept.: This simple fountain in Budapest fires the imagination with a flood of alternate ideas.[more]

How about, for one, laminar ‘pages’ with projected images?

WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

The Company You Keep

Back in 2005,Brian Van Bowerwrote eloquently about what it took (and still takes) to navigate the toughest cluster of decisions many business owners will ever have to make. [more]

THE SHOPPING CART

Aquatic Technologies Offers Epoxy Pool Surface

Aquatic Technologies Group(Stuart, FL) makes AquaGuard 5000, an epoxy coating designed for restoring the interior surfaces of swimming pools and spas. Stronger than plaster and easier to apply, the durable, nonporous material has its own structural integrity regardless of the substrate and keeps its color while resisting resists stains and algae. For details, clickhere.

Fire Tables from Outdoor Greatroom

Outdoor Greatroom Co.(Burnsville, MN) manufactures the Kenwood, a gas-fueled fire pit that doubles as a dining table. Set at standard dining-table height, the units have composite deck tops and bases for a warm, modern look and feature 12-by-42-inch burners, manual or automatic ignitions and a compartment in the base that hides a propane tank. For details, clickhere.

WPN UPDATE

Checked Your

Calendar Lately?

It’s still winter, but the 2020 season is just about ready to break wide open — an opportune time to make certain that strong messages about what you do are found where homeowners and commercial clients will see them.

One great way to spread the word is through theWaterShapes Professional Network, where increasing numbers of web searchers are finding information and support that is helping them make decisions about who to work with in adding water (and everything that comes with it) to their home and/or business environments.

TheNetworkis working just the way we’d hoped: Time toclickaboard?