ponds Archives - Page 3 of 7

By the Numbers

For all of its ubiquitous nature, it's fair to say that most people in the industrialized world take water for granted. Since the introduction of public water treatment in the early 20th Century, our supply has been so safe and reliable that we carelessly assume it will always be there. Clean water flows out of the tap, and the bad water goes down the sink or

Angry Shores

In our last edition, Lauren Stack invoked the concepts of "Blue Mind" and "Red Mind," both terms popularized by author Wallace "J" Nichols. While those references may seem somewhat esoteric, a recent personal experience suggests that Nichols is

Managing clients' mood is as much a part of the pond-installation process as installing the liner. This is why Dave Garton works to build realistic expectations and keep thoughts trained on positive outcomes, seeing them as keys to problem-solving and long-term satisfaction.

Pond-Construction Chaos

Last month, we discussed the importance of creating excitement and anticipation during the early stages of a pond project. One of my favorite techniques I described is taking clients to a rock yard where we celebrate the process selecting stone material. As I mentioned, getting them revved up in the early going is vastly important, and most of the time it's relatively easy because there's a natural excitement that occurs at the outset of most projects. Things can get much tougher on the mood-management front once the work gets started. We all know that installing a body of water almost always leads to

WU Launches Wolfpack Webinar Wednesdays

As members of the watershaping industry and the rest of the world ride it out during the COVID 19 pandemic, Watershape University has its sights set on the future with a variety of live schools and new content in the works. We are, however, also focused on the here and now, and we know that many of you are looking for ways to take advantage of online educational opportunities during this time of social distancing. That's why we decided to

Working on the Waterfront

Locating pools and other types of watershapes adjacent to natural bodies of water presents a range of exciting design opportunities. Perhaps the most familiar is the iconic vanishing edge, a design feature that remains a popular choice for water-side sites where

Planting Presence

Back when we launched WaterShapes, just over 21 years ago, the magazine surprised lots of people for a variety of reasons: Its broad focus on all types of water systems; the fact that it's written in the first person by industry experts and not

Meetings of Blue Minds

Since joining Watershape University (WU) last fall, one of the most intriguing, and I believe inspiring, ideas we've pursued has been the plan to develop the Live Blue Foundation (LBF) as a companion organization. For those who might be wondering what the LBF is all about, and how it ties in with WU, here's a brief synopsis. The concept for LBF stems from the revolutionary work of

Whether ponds are built for it or not, many will encourage a swim, inspire a dive or invite a cooling dip. That's why Larry Carnes guides his clients who want to get wet toward naturalistic pond designs that are also deliberately made for easy access, bather comfort and everyone's safety.

Dawn of the Swimming Pond

Ponds built for swimming are becoming more and more popular - at least they have been in our business. For the past 3-4 years, we've actively promoted recreation-style or swimming-style ponds and have experienced some strong success. Now more than half of our projects are designed and built with swimming in mind, and many of those installations stand among our finest efforts. It's similar in some respects to what we see in the swimming pool market where people are investing in their backyards so they can enjoy the