environment
'To my way of thinking,' wrote David Tisherman to open his Details column in August 2004, 'professional design work requires a professional workspace in which all of the necessary professional tools are available. 'In fact, for the designer creating custom watershapes, I see the space in which the work actually unfolds as being critical and cutting to the very heart of what it really means to be a "designer." I know that
'In recent weeks,' wrote Bruce Zaretsky to open his On the Level column in the July 2009 issue of WaterShapes, 'I've spent a good bit of time speaking to landscaping colleagues, garden clubs and symposium attendees about our general need to get smarter when it comes to how we think about landscapes. 'This is all part of my perpetual campaign to
Most people know that an ecosystem is, by definition, an ecological community that, together with its environment, functions as a unit. Fewer probably know that the word ecology comes from two Greek words: oilcos, meaning “house,” and logos, meaning “the study of.” Together, the word literally means “study of the home.” The result is a word packed with meaning and power, both emotional and practical. Its implications reach everywhere, even into the realm of watershaping and especially
Serenity, comfort, repose. Delight in harmony with nature. These were the guiding principles behind The Point, one of 114 elegant homes gracing the 145-acre Hybernia development on the western boundary of Highland Park, a celebrated Chicago suburb located about 25 miles from downtown on a stretch of Lake Michigan known as the city's North Shore. We were initially called to Hybernia by a true visionary, David Hoffman, president of Red Seal Homes, the prime contractor for the development. He told us how his firm had struggled for years to acquire the parcels included in the development and wanted us to see that he was sensitive and attuned to the special nature of the setting and the history of its community. His first request: a design for a building that would house a pool and hydrotherapy spa for two of his most discriminating clients as a safe, secluded, calming harbor from their heavy international business travels. As it turned out, however, this was just the beginning of what would
Tucked into a small cove in the mountains behind La Quinta in California's lower Coachella Valley, The Quarry Golf Club is hidden, ultra-private and basically unknown to all but members of the golfing elite and the wealthy few who play the course. First conceived by entrepreneur Bill Morrow and designed by renowned golf course architect Tom Fazio, the course is a prime example of just how beautiful golf courses can be - and of how critical a role landscaping and watershapes can play in defining their character and aesthetics. Our challenge was to embroider the course's 18 PGA-sanctioned, championship-caliber holes with
As a contractor, do you ever wish that you could avoid fussing with clients about design and could instead just get down to the business of building watershapes and getting all the details right? Do you ever think you're wasting the time you spend on design, because you know your prospects might go with another contractor despite the time you've spent drawing pretty pictures? Not every watershape contractor will answer "yes" to the first question, but I'm sure most of you have at least thought "yes" about the second one. That's because most contractors I know don't charge for design, at least not directly. As necessary, you'll hire
Global Watershaping