Designing a New Paradigm (Part 1)
In August 1999, more than 30 professionals gathered at a small college in Southeastern Ohio to talk about water and absorb the rudiments of a collective “Philosophy of Design.” Organized by The Whispering Crane Institute, the conference was as much about attitude as it was about the practicalities of designing with water.
In attendance were Rick Anderson and Richard Dubé of the Whispering Crane Institute and the Genesis 3 team of Skip Phillips, Brian Van Bower and David Tisherman – all of them anxious to engage in a roundtable discussion about shared concerns and interests. In excerpted form, here is one key exchange:
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Richard Dubé: ‘[O]ne of the biggest challenges we face on our end is that, in the broadest sense, a landscape includes many components, and the people who are specialists in the various areas do not talk to each other. Yet these elements must all work together after the trades leave. If you look at the components as we do, there are trees, the home, the site, pathways, rock elements, water elements – all of them parts of the environment, parts of the same experience in a total, harmonized space.’
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David Tisherman: ‘Right, but the landscaper and the pool contractor don’t speak the same language, so to achieve what you’re talking about requires some type of educational link between our industries. As it is now, landscape people may not know enough about concrete construction, while we may not know things like how close you can get to an established oak before you begin inhibiting its growth.’
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Brian Van Bower: ‘All too often, landscapers and pool builders don’t exchange information at all. It’s handled as though these are totally separate environments: The pool and landscape are never linked, and the lack of integration really shows. We all know that the most successful projects are those where pool and landscape are married to one another, but we can’t seem to make it work on a consistent basis.’
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Dubé: ‘Even if it’s not necessarily built all together, it should at least be designed together, with everyone involved including the architect, interior designer, landscape designer or architect, pool designer and even an arborist.’
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Skip Phillips: ‘[W]e believe that designers in the pool industry should understand the aesthetic issues involved in good design as well as the technical issues involved in proper structures and hydraulics. It would be great if people in our industry had the ability to step up with these other trades and function as part of the design process on a level that’s comparable to what we see in other industries.’
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Tisherman: ‘When you talk about quality and being qualified, the fact is that our industry is not as advanced as the landscaping industry in terms of design. So we have to play catch up, and the only way that can happen is to set a high standard.’
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Rick Anderson: ‘It’s scary to hear you say that, because from our perspective we see a real deficiency in what’s being taught to the landscape trades.’
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Dubé: ‘I see it as an evolution, and I think it’s always going to be frustrating, because in both trades you’re always going to be behind where you’d like to be. When I think back to my state of mind, my level of sophistication and philosophy about ten years ago, it’s scary – and I was proud of where I was then! Now, I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning and raising my own internal bar. And ten years from now, I’ll look back on where I am today and be amazed at how much I still had to learn.’
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Phillips: ‘You just hit the solution, or at least the first step to one: It’s about understanding that there is so much to learn.’
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Bower: ‘What’s so interesting about this is that we’re thinking that it’s our industry’s fault and I gather that you’re thinking that it’s yours: We’re thinking that there aren’t pool guys out there able to handle it, while your side apparently doesn’t have all the answers, either.’
In this roundtable discussion 20 years ago, the panelists isolated communication between the trades and cross-disciplinary education as the keys to a better future for both the watershaping and landscaping trades. Have you seen progress in pursuit of these goals, or are there still barriers that need to be overcome? Please share your insights by commenting below.
Note: A second excerpt from this discussion will appear in the next WaterShapes newsletter.
Roundtable participants included David Tisherman, owner and operator of David Tisherman’s Visuals in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and of Liquid Design in Cherry Hill, N.J.; Richard Dubé, a landscape designer based in Columbia, S.C.; Rick Anderson, owner of Ston Wurks in Columbia, S.C.; Skip Phillips, president of Questar Pools in Escondido, Calif.; and Brian Van Bower, owner of Aquatic Consultants in Miami.