Superlatives on Deck: Brian Van Bower’s Platinum Standard Project

In December 2004, WaterShapes introduced ‘The Platinum Standard,’ a registry of projects that embodies watershaping at its finest. Now, as part of our celebration of the magazine’s 100th Issue, Eric Herman offers ‘The Platinum Standard II,’ a fresh set of 20 projects that have graced the pages of the magazine in the past three-and-a-half years – projects that demonstrate clearly that watershaping has become an art form in its own right.

Brian Van Bower
Aquatic Consultants
Miami, Fla.

Working on a private island off the Connecticut coast, watershape designer Brian Van Bower developed an elegant, rectilinear treatment that deftly combines wood decking and a seamless water-in-transit effect with spectacular views in every direction. But there’s more to the good looks than meets the eye: A large portion of the composition juts out over a bluff that reaches high above the rocky shore – execution that required careful, sophisticated coordination of everyone involved mySpace