Tag: illumination

2019/5.2, May 15 — Vision Lessons, Gravel Appreciation, D.C. Masterpiece and more

THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS May 15, 2019 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE Adopted Vision Building a project to another designer’s plan can be awkward when you notice flaws you might have helped address. In this case, notesTanr Ross, the results were truly spectacular — but assessing the ‘deficiencies’ taught him valuable lessons […]

2019/3.2, March 20 — A Space Transformed, Deck Details, Surreal Boldness and more

THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS March 20, 2019 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE Artful Opportunities The home sits on the edge of a lovely golf course, but it’s backyard definitely needed help. Completely reimagining the space,Juliet Woodinserted a pool, a spa, a cabana, a sweeping staircase and anamazingwater wall to create a fully […]

Vista Releases LED Step-Light Fixtures

Vista Professional Outdoor Lighting (Simi Valley, CA) manufactures the Model 1505 Architectural Series LED step-light fixture for mounting onto concrete, masonry, stone or wood. Designed to provide illumination for steps and low-level features, the units are made of fiber-reinforced polymer and have nine LED emitters with no-glare optics. For details, click here.

Flowing in Light

It's a challenge designers and builders face every time they work with raised spas, waterfalls, grottoes or vanishing edges: Saving the best for last, Graham Orme completes his four-part series on underwater-lighting techniques by focusing here on various forms of water in transit. By Graham Orme

Today’s swimming pools, spas and waterfeatures have moved several steps beyond their traditional, classic forms in shape, complexity, visual interest and beauty – and so have the techniques and technologies involved in giving them a warm, inviting glow when evening comes.

Happily, we’re far past the bad old days when the common solution to most watershape lighting tasks was placement of a blinding, 500-watt incandescent bulb in a huge, visually intrusive niche: Through years of innovation, experimentation and refinement with light-emitting diodes (LEDs), lighting is now adding splendor and wonder to the pool/spa experience in compact, unobtrusive packages – a design asset that couldn’t

Shaping with Light

Lighting the various planes, elevations and contours of today's swimming pools is a challenge: It takes familiarity with the capabilities of modern LEDs, notes Graham Orme, but it's also important to think about safety, angles, intensity and the goal of producing a warm, beautiful glow.By Graham Orme

These days, using LED lights to illuminate rectangular or kidney-shaped pools is pretty simple: You just space the fixtures out at proper intervals on a wall facing away from prime viewing spots inside the house and on deck, specify the appropriate wattage, hook them up to a suitable control system and step back to bask in the warm nighttime glow.

But that sense of routine quickly disappears when

A Full Day’s Delight

A crucial part of the backyard design process these days, writes Glen MacGillivray, is motivating homeowners to venture outside after dark. Here's a look at how he approaches this day-to-night transition, from keeping the water moving to making it glow. By Glen MacGillivray

With increasing frequency, I’m running into higher-end clients who lead hectic 9-to-5 lives – too packed for them to be able to enjoy the swimming pool we’re proposing to build with much more than holiday-weekend frequency.  Obviously, the key with these homeowners is making certain the pool we’re discussing is something they can appreciate and enjoy 24 hours a day – whenever they happen to be home and can be drawn out into a

Focus Industries Offers Underwater LED Lights

Focus Industries (Lake Forest, CA) has introduced the SL-11-LEDM series of underwater lights. Made with cast-brass bodies and caps in three finishes, the units feature 316 stainless steel screws; high-impact, liquid-tight lenses; and low-voltage 7-, 11- or 15-watt LEDs. They as 15-degree spotlights as well as 40-, 60- or 160-degree floodlights. For details, click here.

Mystic Falls Illuminated Weirs from Aquility Systems

Aquility Systems (Gainesville, FL) makes the Mystic Falls line of illuminated waterfall weirs. Designed for use in ponds and watergardens, the filtered units generate crystal-clear cascades of color and are available in five energy-efficient LED colors and in four standard widths from 8 to 24 inches (with 24- and 36-inch models available by special order). […]