Tag: outdoor

Reflecting Pools from Bradford Products

Bradford Products (Leland, NC) makes WaterFX Reflecting Pools for both residential and commercial applications. Designed to bring a measure of peace and tranquility to any indoor or outdoor environment, the shallow stainless steel vessels can be customized to any desired size or shape and are available with tile finishes as well as lighting systems. For […]

Ledge Lounger Offers Modular Padded Lounges

Ledge Lounger (Houston, TX) manufactures the Mainstay Sectional, a modular, customizable lounge system designed for outdoor, on-deck use in commercial or residential settings. Made with an outdoor resin and rugged fabrics in dozens of available colors, the four-piece assemblies interlock and can easily be reconfigured to suit immediate needs. For details, click here.

Fire Windows from Spark Modern Fires

Spark Modern Fires (Bethel, CT) has launched a line of Fire Windows that offer two-sided views of a ribbon of fire. The units are designed for indoor, outdoor or indoor/outdoor installations, operate at 95 percent efficiencies and are available in three-, four-, five- and six-foot lengths. They also feature stainless steel construction and install quickly […]

Low-Voltage Lighting Transformer from Intermatic

Intermatic (Spring Grove, IL) manufactures the PX 100 Safety Transformer. Designed to supply 12 to 14 volts for low-voltage submersible and outdoor garden LED lights, the unit features built-in circuit protection that disconnects power temporarily in case of overload and complies with NEC Code 680.23 requirements for underwater luminaires. For details, click here.

Shell Games

Even for a watershaper who previously specialized in the largest, most complex sorts of commercial installations, the challenges James Atlas ran into with this multi-faceted residential project stretched him to his operational limits. Designed for an intensely creative client on a property in suburban Chicago, the work took more than five years to complete and grew to include a wildly elaborate palette of design elements and details. By James Atlas

It all started in 2002, when I was contacted by an architect who’d been retained to design a recreational complex for a huge estate in a wealthy Chicago suburb.  I knew at the time that this would be big, but in those early days I had no clear idea exactly what it would ultimately entail.

It’s a familiar story:  Before the call came in, the homeowner had spoken with a number of pool-contracting firms in the area and had visited a number of projects that failed to impress her.  The unusual thing is, at the time she called I was focused exclusively on pursuing large-scale commercial projects and waterparks and didn’t see anything even approaching a

The Science of Lighting

When designed and installed properly, a landscape lighting system enables clients to enjoy their watershapes and landscapes well after the sun goes down. But achieving those satisfactory results, says lighting expert Mike Gambino, requires an understanding not only of the aesthetics of lighting design, but also an appreciation of the technology behind the beauty and an ability to lay components out in ways that electrically balance the system.By Mike Gambino

As I see it, successful landscape lighting is a two-part process:  First, the designer applies aesthetic principles that create the art, then he or she supports that artistic vision with scientific and technological savvy.  One without the other doesn’t work:  You can’t effectively practice the art until you’ve mastered the science.

In my 17 years as a lighting designer, I’ve encountered lots of professionals who have the artistic part of the equation down pat but fall well short when it comes to working with electricity.  The plain fact is, you can use the best fixtures in the world and understand the aesthetic issues like the back of your hand, but if you can’t consistently deliver power to those fixtures at correct, reliable voltages, the overall system will not perform properly and has the potential to become a maintenance nightmare.

There’s no way a single article can bring anyone up to speed with all of the issues involved in the science lighting.  Instead, my intention here is to introduce watershapers to a basic, commonsense approach to laying out low-voltage, halogen lighting systems, the goal being to enable you to converse intelligently and persuasively with lighting designers in the interest of helping

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 guru Janet 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. (Photo: Lighting by Randy Burkett Lighting Design; photo by William Mathis)By Janet Lennox Moyer

When we work in public settings, the basic demand on lighting designers is for straightforward fixture layouts capable of providing enduring effects and requiring minimal ongoing attention.  That doesn’t sound particularly exciting – and it’s not, unless the lighting designer uses it as a baseline and reaches above and beyond.

Parks, plazas, resorts and historical sites (among many others) are all spaces that really should come alive at night, but their lighting designs often run counter to that vitality by being so utilitarian that they spark boredom rather than energy.  It’s easy to understand why this happens:  Because such spaces play host to high levels of traffic and often multiple uses, they demand lighting treatments that

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 guru Janet 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. (Photo: Lighting by Randy Burkett Lighting Design; photo by William Mathis)By Janet Lennox Moyer

When we work in public settings, the basic demand on lighting designers is for straightforward fixture layouts capable of providing enduring effects and requiring minimal ongoing attention.  That doesn’t sound particularly exciting – and it’s not, unless the lighting designer uses it as a baseline and reaches above and beyond.

Parks, plazas, resorts and historical sites (among many others) are all spaces that really should come alive at night, but their lighting designs often run counter to that vitality by being so utilitarian that they spark boredom rather than energy.  It’s easy to understand why this happens:  Because such spaces play host to high levels of traffic and often multiple uses, they demand lighting treatments that

International Flavors

Good design isn’t the sole province of any one country:  It’s something that happens around the world in response to local flavors and textures and the needs and desires of people who live there.

Most of these watershape markets are absolutely minuscule by comparison to the U.S. market – but in each location you’ll find clients who are just as interested as their American counterparts in commissioning watershapes that reflect high aspirations, suitable affluence and