sensitivity

2018/5.1, May 2 — Deep-Blue Views, Well-Dressed Ledges, Hearst Pool Revival and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS May 2, 2018 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…
Rendering Aid
Mike Gannon is always gratified when a do-it-yourself pond owner trusts him enough to seek his professional help.  But as he relates in introducing this video on one such transformation, there's a single point he keeps very much in mind as he approaches the various tasks at hand.      
Border Crossings
It seems to be a trend:  In more and more of the conversations I’ve been having with watershapers, the level of interest in what’s involved in working overseas has really spiked in recent weeks and months. I recall a time several years back when curiosity about overseas work focused on the glamour and excitement of stepping into uncharted territory.  Now, however, there’s a certain urgency to the inquiries, and my guess is there are at least three reasons behind it.   First, there’s the enduring sense of the prestige and energy that
The Shock of the New
Recently, much has been written and discussed in our local Los Angeles media - newspapers, magazines, television - about an influx of architectural styles to our area that "just don't fit in" and are generally thought of as being a blight on our collective landscape. This isn't anything new, of course.  I recall similar dustups in the 1970s and '80s when the stylistic serenity of old, established neighborhoods was being disrupted by the insertion
The Shock of the New
Recently, much has been written and discussed in our local Los Angeles media - newspapers, magazines, television - about an influx of architectural styles to our area that "just don't fit in" and are generally thought of as being a blight on our collective landscape. This isn't anything new, of course.  I recall similar dustups in the 1970s and '80s when the stylistic serenity of old, established neighborhoods was being disrupted by the insertion
New Revivals
As landscape professionals, most of us seek not only to innovate and drive the industry to new levels, but also endeavor as necessary to learn about basic design principles and styles that have inspired and ignited design movements in past centuries. By studying the range of architectural and landscape styles that have gone before us, we learn to use historical cues to guide us in our current tasks.  At the same time, our knowledge of what was done in the past positions us to develop variations on themes and do things
Restoring Waters Past
The history of modern swimming pools really dates back just a hundred years or so.  Yes, there are examples of pools, baths and other watershapes from the distant past, but the swimming pool as we know it is something that truly emerged during the 20th Century, mostly after World War II.  Before then, there were probably no more than 50,000 pools built in all of the United States - and most of those were seen as something quite special for their time.   Nowadays, we're far enough into the development of "modern" swimming pools and other watershapes that a small number of "antique" pools have been declared historical landmarks, with those at Hearst Castle being
In Search of Balance and Harmony
The words mean "earth luck," and over the last 18 months, at least half of my design-work appointments have been with people who have some concern or interest in the ancient philosophy known as feng shui. In fact, many of these (mostly upscale) customers already own books on the subject and have the expectation that I will factor feng shui principles in as I design their watershapes. By now, most of us have at least heard of this ancient Chinese philosophy, which is often described as "the art of living in perfect balance."  If you're like me, it's been one of those things to which you've never paid too much attention in your own life.  But as has been the case with other forms of Asian philosophy and spirituality, feng shui (pronounced fung shway) has