professionalism

Slices of Heaven
Working on a wide range of projects in a wide range of locales for a broad range of clients is an interesting way to make a living, I have to say, but in some cases the projects we participate in are so high end that we know we'll only ever experience the finished product in pictures. A case in point is the Ani Villas, a resort property in Dikwella on the southern edge of Sri Lanka, a large island off the southern coast of India.  It's a water lover's paradise, with 270-degree views of the Indian Ocean as well as grounds dotted by multiple watershapes:  two large main pools, numerous small private plunges for certain guest rooms, a pair of pools for kids, a weeping wall to greet visitors and a river/cascade system through portions of the property. It's an amazing place, and I'm proud to say we
2016/9.2, September 21 — Hilltop Staging, Pond Pests, Shimmering Reflections and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS September 21, 2016 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…
2016/8.2, August 24 — Dream Clients, Aquaponic Options, San Francisco Treat and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS August 24, 2016 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…
The View from Inside
'We water and landscape professionals literally shape the outdoor environments in which we work - cutting grades, building walls, planting trees, installing pools, ponds and fountains and preparing patios, decks, planting beds and lighting systems.' 'In designing these outdoor-living spaces,' noted Bruce Zaretsky in kicking off his On the Level column in
2016/7.2, July 27 — Deadline Drama, pH and Plaster, Fountain Up Close and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS July 27, 2016 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…
Hearing Voices
'In all of the discussions in print and in seminar rooms about advancing the watershaping trades,' declared Brian Van Bower in opening his Aqua Culture column in WaterShapes' July 2006 issue, 'it seems to me there's been a missing voice - that of the client.   'We spend lots of time dissecting, praising, disputing, criticizing and encouraging one another, but somehow we seem to have bypassed the thought that
Meeting Minds
'What if you were so bad at your job that a person in a related field decided, for the good of his own business, he had to learn your business and replace you rather than cope with your incompetence?'  That's how Brian Van Bower eased his way into his Aqua Culture column in the May/June 2011 issue of WaterShapes.  'Most people,' he continued, 'would say that this would be a justified response to the fact that you
2016/6.2, June 22 — Artificial Splendor, Pond Oxygen, Grand-Scale Serenity and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS June 22, 2016 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…
Knowing Your Range
'I understand that everybody has to make a living,' wrote David Tisherman near the top of his Details column in the June 2006 edition of WaterShapes, 'and I've always known that there are many people in the watershaping world who make their daily bread by selling, designing and building the pool, starting it up, selling pool toys and acid and chlorine, servicing the pool, winterizing it in the fall and opening it back up in the spring.' 'The range of activities some people try to master beneath the umbrella of
Gardens for People
'Gardens truly are for people.  While that's manifestly an obvious statement,' wrote Bruce Zaretsky at the top of his On the Level column in May 2011, 'it seems to be a concept that insufficient numbers of today's watershape and landscape designers fully grasp.' 'That's nothing new.  More than half a century ago, in fact, [Thomas] Church was motivated to