watershape
Curt Straub is passionate about aquatic safety. Having spent five decades working in the pool industry, his focus on keeping swimmers, and particularly kids, safe when they’re in and around the water is all about making swimming instruction part of their lives, first at school, then everywhere else.
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Bobé Fire & Water (Phoenix, AZ) makes box scuppers for applications with swimming pools, spas…
Southern Grouts & Mortars (Pompano Beach, FL) makes Diamond Brilliance, a finish that includes a…
Kubota Tractor (Grapevine, TX) manufactures the KX033-4 excavator. The compact unit operates with powerful breakout…
To the casual observer, it might seem that what we do is all about artificial rock. But if you look closer, I think a better description is that we work in the business of "themed construction." While much of our work centers on the creative use of artificial rock, we do much more than shape that raw material in fashioning the archaeological replicas, exotic watershapes, zoological exhibits and grand-scale sculptures of which the rockwork is a part. As we see it, what we do is develop whatever sort of tableau a client might want in whatever media might help us capture it. As a consequence, our work at The Lakeland Co. (Rathdrum, Idaho) has brought us into contact with an incredibly broad spectrum of projects in a wide range of settings, from
To the casual observer, it might seem that what we do is all about artificial rock. But if you look closer, I think a better description is that we work in the business of "themed construction." While much of our work centers on the creative use of artificial rock, we do much more than shape that raw material in fashioning the archaeological replicas, exotic watershapes, zoological exhibits and grand-scale sculptures of which the rockwork is a part. As we see it, what we do is develop whatever sort of tableau a client might want in whatever media might help us capture it. As a consequence, our work at The Lakeland Co. (Rathdrum, Idaho) has brought us into contact with an incredibly broad spectrum of projects in a wide range of settings, from
Most of us are in business to earn a living, which is probably why so many of us think of the high-end market as the place to be. In general, of course, the bigger the job, the larger the paycheck will be. But when I look more closely at the work I've done through my career, I believe we might be overlooking valuable opportunities for personal and professional growth by being so single-minded in pursuing grand, big-ticket jobs. When I started my business 15 years ago, I was happy to find work on small borders in small spaces. Since then, I'm proud of the fact that I have worked my way up to designing for multiple-acre estates. To be sure, I much prefer having a few large jobs to a bunch of smaller ones, but
To those who see art as frivolous and ultimately unnecessary and expendable, we offer as a counterweight the following from Austrian poet, Ernst Fisher: "Art is a driving force in bringing humankind to greater quality of life, and it is therefore an absolute cultural necessity." For the artist, tremendous responsibility comes with that necessity. Indeed, those who expose others to art bear a burden in shaping entire cultures as people around them come to accept their artistic output as essential threads in the social fabric. Think of Brunelleschi in Renaissance Florence, for example, or Gaudi in modern Barcelona. When we as watershape or landscape designers seek to expose others to our works of art, we accept a profound moral responsibility whether we work in the public or the private domain. At its core, our responsibility is to seek and communicate truth. As we see it, one and all who fall under the broad umbrella of the watershaping arts should be
Without any hesitation at all, I can say that Gardening with Water by James Van Sweden (Random House, 1995) is one of the most influential books on design that I've ever read. It's currently out of print, but it's certainly worth a hunt and can still be found on the Internet and in many technical bookstores. All through its 206 beautifully illustrated pages, Van Sweden carefully details his approach to designing with water - an element he says should be used in some form in every garden design. Along the way, he covers his firm's use of swimming pools (natural and architectural) as well as birdbaths, fountains, small watergardens and large ponds. It's an important book from a tremendously influential designer. In fact,
Designing a New Paradigm (Part 2)