pool

Degrees of Separation
Through the past few months, I've run across several representatives of the pool and spa industry who have expressed concern that some of us in the business of educating watershapers are encouraging landscape architects to move in the direction of the pool industry's traditional market. I can understand the anxiety.  After all, landscape architects are degreed professionals in a closely related exterior-design field and have been academically trained in principles of design, while most of us in the mainstream pool and spa industry have no such background or relevant certification.  It probably isn't paranoia to regard these design-oriented professionals as having something of an edge. There's also the simple fact that
Contemporary Sensibilities
One of the great things about working with different architects and designers the way we do is that, as builders of pools, spas and other watershapes, we enjoy opportunities to work across a broad range of design styles and sensibilities. In this instance, we're focusing on one of our favorite Southern California architects, Mark Singer.  He's known regionally for crisp, clean, minimalist designs and is well regarded for his work on breathtaking lots along the coast in Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and other well-heeled cities overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  To our good fortune, most of his projects include pools, spas, courtyard waterfeatures, outdoor sculptures and other amenities that enhance and extend his contemporary designs.    Our most recent project with Singer was completed in the summer of 2004 at an older home in the beautiful beach community of Corona del Mar.  The house itself was not originally designed by Singer, but it had been remodeled by him several times in the years since.  In fact, so much has been done at this point that it's practically impossible to distinguish this residence from projects he has pursued from the ground up. COMPLETING A SCENE The homeowner is a wealthy land developer, a self-made man and a major fan of
Comfortable Adjustments
Wonderful projects often proceed at their own paces.   More often than not, high-end clients on either the commercial or residential side will require us to spend a great deal of time and effort in developing, adjusting and revisiting designs so they wind up with exactly the watershapes and spaces that best suit their needs and desires. Sometimes that process is tremendously involved, as has been the case with a project I discussed in a previous "Aqua Culture" installment (May 2004, page 10).  The clients are creating what they're calling a "world-class pampering spa" as a major expansion of an existing facility in Jacksonville, Fla. Our work on the project includes a broad range of
A Point Well Made
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
Angled Elegance: David Tisherman’s Platinum Standard Project
Watershaping advanced by leaps and bounds from 1999 through 2004 – a journey of artistry…
The Platinum Standard
Watershaping has come a long way in the past half dozen years – a journey…
Blue on Green
Over and over again, I've said and written that the water should not be seen as the most important element in a well-designed space.   In fact, I've said it so often that it's almost become a cliché, and that's a shame, because it tends to trivialize the valid point that all elements in a given space - plants, rocks, hardscape, lighting, artwork and water - need to co-exist in visual balance to create an overall experience. This concept of visual balance should indeed be the heart and soul of all our exterior designs, but it's apparent
Shapes of Things to Come
To know where you're going, you need to have a sense of where you've been. That phrase is a bit shopworn, but it
Playful Paradise: Steve Kaiser’s Platinum Standard Project
Watershaping advanced by leaps and bounds from 1999 through 2004 – a journey of artistry…
Tuscan Flair: Martha and Randy Beard’s and Lynn Pries’s Platinum Standard Project
Watershaping advanced by leaps and bounds from 1999 through 2004 – a journey of artistry…