personality - water shapes

Inside: Brian Van Bower on Teamwork

D e s i g n • E n g i n e e r i n g • C o n s t r u c t i o n

Plus: Digging deep into the

numbers behind hydraulics

Plus: Digging deep into the

numbers behind hydraulics

ExoticFinesse

ExoticFinesse

Color, water, whimsy —

and don’t miss the hippo!

Color, water, whimsy —

and don’t miss the hippo!

Modern watershapingin a subtropical paradise

Modern watershapingin a subtropical paradise

Personality on ParadePersonalityon Parade

Volume 8Number 3

March 2006$6.00

Circle 56 on Postage Free Card

4 WATERsHAPES �MARCH 2006

March

Floating on SunshineBy Juan Roca

Modern design in a subtropical setting

32Balanced ForceBy Steve GutaiNailing down hydraulicsfor complex watershapes

contents

features

50

Flames OnBy Karl NettmannThe cautious artof playing with fire

40Serious WhimsyBy Colleen HolmesA lively setting fora powerful personality

56

5

In This Issue

Advertiser Index

Of Interest Index

Of Interest

6

8

60

60

66

10

18

24

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WATERSHAPES (ISSN 1522-6581) is published monthly by McCloskey Communications, Inc. 6119 Lockhurst Dr.,Woodland Hills, CA 91367. A controlled circulation publication, WaterShapes is distributed without charge to qualifiedsubscribers. Non-qualified subscription rates in the U.S., $30 per year; Canada and Mexico $48 per year; all other coun-tries $64 per year, payable in U.S. funds. Single copies $10 per issue in the U.S. and Canada. All other countries $15per issue. Subscription requests must include name, job title, business location, address information and a signatureand date. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WaterShapes, P.O. Box 1216, Lowell, MA 01853-9930.Periodicals postage rates paid at Woodland Hills, CA 91365 and additional mailing offices.

WATERsHAPES � MARCH 2006

Volume 8 • Number 3 • March 2006

StructuresBy Eric Herman

A mirror to aclient’s personality

Aqua CultureBy Brian Van Bower

The virtues ofteam membership

Natural CompanionsBy Stephanie Rose

Luring butterflieswith flower selections

Detail #61By David Tisherman

Making a case fordoing things right

Book NotesBy Mike Farley

Defining the coreof landscape design

24

columns

departments

18

10

On the cover:Photo by Kathleen Persoff, Studio City, Calif., courtesy New Leaf Landscape, Agoura Hills, Calif.

EditorEric Herman — 714.449-1905

Associate EditorMelissa Anderson Burress— 818.715-9776

Contributing EditorsBrian Van Bower David TishermanStephanie Rose Mike Farley

Art DirectorRick Leddy

Production ManagerRobin Wilzbach — 818.783-3821

Circulation ManagerSimone Sanoian — 818.715-9776

National Sales ManagerCamma Barsily — 310.979-0335

PublisherJames McCloskey — 818.715-9776

Publishing OfficeMcCloskey Communications, Inc.P.O. Box 306Woodland Hills, CA 91365Tel: 818.715-9776 • Fax: 818.715-9059e-mail: [email protected]: www.watershapes.com

© Entire contents copyright 2006. No portion of this publi-cation may be reproduced in any form without written per-mission of the publisher. Views expressed by the bylinedcontributors should not be construed as reflecting the opin-ion of this publication. Publication of product/service infor-mation should not be deemed as a recommendation by thepublisher.

Printed in the U.S.A.

One of the most fascinating aspects of watershaping is the broad array of per-sonalities that define the industry. From my perspective, getting to know thosewho contribute to these pages is a process of discovery that makes preparing everyissue a private joy that is always publicly reflected in the magazine.

For those of you who pay attention to the cast of characters whose work andthoughts are represented here,you’re probably most familiar with Brian Van Bower,Stephanie Rose, David Tisherman and Mike Farley – columnists who, issue afterissue, share their insights and philosophies with all comers.

But through the years, there have been scores of other characters who haveparticipated in this forum, and we take pride in the fact that each and every arti-cle in every single issue conveys information about the watershapers whose workwe feature along with glimpses into the hearts and minds of their clients as well.Perceiving this “personality factor” is critical to understanding watershaping asan art form because, like most creative pursuits, the personal creative sparks be-tween artist and client tend to result in the most distinctive projects.

We can see this in the most famous of watershapes: Consider, for example, howthe pools at Hearst Castle reflected the personalities of both William RandolphHearst and architect Julia Morgan, or the way the Playboy Mansion’s pool direct-ly expresses both Hugh Hefner’s lifestyle and the design sensibilities of Ron andSuzanne Dirsmith. As beautiful as those works are given their own visual merits,the thing that makes them so fascinating is the way they reflect the personalitiesof those involved in creating them.

That same principle applies to works that are not so well known, even thoughthose projects can provide even stronger reflections of personality. Indeed, water-shaping is one of those endeavors that require a certain symbiosis of personalitiesbetween watershaper and client – a note we’ve sounded countless times throughthe years.

This issue features a project that stands as one of the most vivid and unusual ex-pressions of personality and creative collaboration we’ve ever published. Onpage 56, first-time WaterShapes contributor Colleen Holmes describes a projectshe recently completed for a client who was obsessed with color,variety and whim-sical humor – so much so that the whole affair defies categorization in terms ofstyle or any familiar design sensibility.

It’s a project that could only happen when artist and client develop a creative rap-port and a project-specific design vocabulary. In describing this collaboration,Holmes walks us through a remarkable tour of the ways a client’s personality canbe expressed, magnified and celebrated using water, stone, light, textiles and gar-den ornamentation. It’s fearless stuff – and a bit giddy as well.

Although this basic principle of watershaper/client collaboration is expressed insubtler forms in the vast majority of articles we publish, this feature provides par-ticularly keen insight into that process. It shows watershaping as being about some-thing more than the sum of its parts and explores the point at which it becomes anart form that can tell us a lot about ourselves.

WATERsHAPES �MARCH 20066

By Eric Herman

structures

Personalities Plus

WATERsHAPES �MARCH 20068

Juan Roca is a watershape designer and in-staller based in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, andfounder and principal of Aquart, the country’sonly custom watershaping firm. Born inBarcelona, Spain, he holds a degree in indus-trial engineering and began his career inswimming pool construction in 1975 in SanJose, Costa Rica’s capital. Roca’s search forwatershape-design education led him a fewyears back to the Genesis 3 Design Group,which he credits with transforming his ap-proach to design and construction and ledhim to reconstitute his company with its cur-rent name in 2003 with a new focus on high-

end custom work. He can be reached throughhis web site, www.aquart.net.

Karl Nettmann, a 12-year veteran of thefilm industry, a licensed pyrotechnician and amanufacturer of high explosives, is an artistand sculptor who has worked on such films asScream 2, Men in Black, The Truman Show and,most recently, Underworld 2: Evolution. Hisfocus has recently shifted to fire-oriented metalartwork for landscape and interior settings, aninterest that began as a hobby and has since ex-panded into a business. Using his expertise inspecial effects, Nettmann incorporates the ele-

March’s Writersin this issue


ments of fire and water into his de-signs, manipulating them into bal-anced and beautiful compositions.His works are now on display in homesand businesses around the country andat www.waterfirelight.com.

Steve Gutai is product managerfor pumps, filters and valves withJandy/Laars Products, a division ofWaterPik Technologies of Petaluma,Calif. Gutai is a veteran of the swim-ming pool industry, having spentmore than 13 years as an indepen-dent service and repair technicianand subcontractor in the Los Angelesarea. He spent three more years as atechnical service manager and out-side sales representative for WaterwayPlastics in Oxnard, Calif. Gutaijoined Laars & Jandy in 2000 andnow works directly with contractorsand engineers in designing circula-tion systems for pools, spas and otherwatershapes. He teaches hydraulicsat trade shows throughout theUnited States and is the featured hy-draulics instructor for Genesis 3’sLevel 1 schools.

Colleen Holmes is president ofNew Leaf Landscape, a full-servicelandscape design/construction firmbased in Agoura Hills, Calif. A land-scape designer with more than 30years’ experience, she began her careeras a child at the side of her father,Charles Prowse, who instilled in her alove of the art of landscape design.She studied landscape architecture atthe College of the Desert in PalmDesert, Calif., where she was pro-foundly influenced by sculptor/land-scape artist Michael Watling, and laterattended UCLA’s school of landscapearchitecture. Her early work focusedon designs for country clubs and gat-

ed communities in the CoachellaValley. Since then, Holmes has runher own pool and landscape mainte-nance firms and founded her firstlandscape design/construction com-

pany in 1980. She established her cur-rent firm in 1987 and now focuses ex-clusively on high-end residential pro-jects including a number ofcelebrities’ homes.


WATERsHAPES �MARCH 2006 9

Interested in writing for WaterShapes on design, engineering or construction topics? Contact Eric Herman at (714) 449-1905!


hen I think about all the people I know from the mainstream pooland spa industry, one of the things that characterizes many of them

is a strong, independent spirit. That’s a positive, I think, but there’s a possi-ble downside in the fact that many of them are also convinced that theirs isthe best (or only) way – and they certainly don’t cotton to the idea of work-ing closely with people from outside their own organizations.

I can appreciate that sort of independent mindset in many ways, but fromwhere I sit, it’s clear to me that this concept of the lone-wolf pool builder islosing ground fast. As I’ve stated in these pages before, the nature of mod-ern watershaping is making ours a more collaborative business, and I forone believe that those of us who embrace the idea of teamwork are position-ing ourselves for greater future success.

Working as part of a team, of course, is often easier said than done: It re-quires flexibility and in many cases a deliberate suppression of ego. It alsomeans knowing when to stand your ground and when to bend. And thefact is that no two teams are ever alike and no two projects ever quite the same,which means that each job involves a process in which we must assimilate our-selves into a group at the same time we assert our expertise where our par-ticular skill sets can move things along in positive directions.

To me, this is no more difficult than going italone (in fact, it can be easier). Mostly, it’s justdifferent.

project profilesIn considering the outcomes I’ve seen flow-

ing from the team concept, I can honestly saythat the work greatly benefits from the processin just about every case. As I discussed in theJanuary 2006 issue, the role of the watershapedesign consultant is fast evolving,and it’s my ob-servation that the results of layered,multi-facetedapproaches are indeed greater than the sumsof the individual talents involved.

In my work these days, I work with combina-tions of architects, landscape architects, gener-al contractors, landscape contractors, interiordesigners and,most important, the clients them-selves. And I find across the board that I fit inwith and am accepted by those other profes-sionals today where even a few short years agoI had the sense that getting my voice heard wasan uphill battle.

Back then, I faced challenges on two fronts:First, I had to answer for the general lack of cred-ibility the pool and spa industry had when itcame to working on such teams; second, I hadto establish my own credibility and credentialsas a designer in a field with no formal educa-tional requirements or tools that would help meestablish my chops.

At this point and with lots of hard work, I’veestablished myself and am welcomed as part ofthese teams. And it’s not just me: I know oth-er watershaping professionals who’ve plowedsimilar paths and won the respect of those withwhom they’re now collaborating.

My point is, by working in a team environ-ment, we have the opportunity to demonstrateour value by providing expertise that others on

By Brian Van Bower

aqua culture

By working in a team environment, we have the

opportunity to demonstrateour value by providing

expertise that others on the team don’t possess.

Concerted Efforts

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the team don’t possess.Almost without exception, the people

I’ve worked with on teams are more thanwilling to acknowledge gaps in theirknowledge about what I do as a water-shaper. More gratifying still is that I nowsee every single project as an opportuni-ty to expand my knowledge of what oth-er team members do and how they look

at their roles in these projects. And I knowwell that all of that potential for profes-sional (and personal) growth is the prod-uct of the open-mindedness that is re-quired by the team concept.

Thus it happens that my work as ateam member has led me to the firmconclusion that results are superiorwhen we augment our own knowledge

with the skills, insights and ambitionsof other people.

cases in pointAll of that sounds good as an intellec-

tual stance, but in the real world, I haveto acknowledge that the processes of teamformation and execution can be complexand tricky.

I’m currently involved in two largecommercial projects that exemplify theoverall dynamics: In both cases, the pro-jects would simply not have been thesame had the work been done by a sin-gle swimming pool designer/contractor– or by an architect or a landscape ar-chitect alone.

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t oftenpursue commercial projects because ofthe creative limitations imposed by in-spectors and regulations. But some aretoo interesting to pass up – as were thesetwo projects. What made them so at-tractive was my sense that there were pro-ject teams that had the discipline and skillsto achieve great results.

Both of these projects involve high-end,oceanfront resorts with outdated pools,one in Florida, the other in Jamaica. Ineach case,the owners wanted to bring theirfacilities up to the state of the art. (At thiswriting,the Florida project is in the designphase,while the Jamaican project just wentinto operation.)

The Florida project is at the Ocean ReefClub in Key Largo, on the Atlantic side.The aim in this project is to rework thepools and areas around them, and theowners brought my firm in to work withADP Group,a top-flight architecture firmfrom Sarasota, Fla., known for its preciseproject management.

The Jamaica project took place at theRound Hill Hotel & Villas at a site nearMontego Bay. Fashion mogul RalphLauren is one of the owners, and his in-fluence is clear throughout the proper-ty. In this case, the renovation of the poolarea occurred in conjunction with ren-ovation of some of the villas that over-look those pools.

Here, we were teamed with theCharlottesville, Va.-based landscape ar-chitecture firm of Nelson, Byrd & Woltz– another remarkably professional groupthat specializes in ultra-high-end work.



aqua culture

Continued on page 14

In Jamaica, I worked with Thomas Woltzand Mary Wolf, who were already onboard by the time I was brought in towork on the swimming pools.

In both cases, these firms were previ-ously unknown to me, which meant thatwe had to go through initial phases oflearning to work together. In each sit-uation, they brought differing sets of de-

sign priorities that dramatically influ-enced the work.

out jamaica wayWhen I was brought in on the Jamaica

project, I found myself in the not-unfa-miliar position of having to express myvision for the job without giving away allof my ideas. That’s a fine line to walk un-

der most circumstances, but in this in-stance we worked through the initial de-sign stage fairly easily, largely because itwas obvious from the very start that Woltzand Wolf had ideas for the project thatwere similar to my own.

In fact, we were so firmly on the samepage that it was almost eerie at first.Before I arrived, they had already comeup with a conceptual plan and a basicfootprint for the pool and left it to meto flesh out the details of a large vanish-ing-edge vessel that would accentuate theocean view.

The twist in this case was that we want-ed to make use of the space below the edgeand between the pool and the ocean toestablish a gathering place with a bar,wa-ter walls and hydrotherapy jets I suggest-ed to expand their basic concept.

Because they were working with theentire landscape design including theplanted areas and pathways, we werereadily able to integrate details of thepool area with the rest of the space.This involved us in detailed discussionsof how visitors would access the areaand the overall flow of the space, andour ability to learn from the experienceand get inside their thought processeswas aided by the fact that Woltz andWolf were extremely easy to work with:Ideas kept flowing from all sides, andthere was a great deal of creative giveand take.

By virtue of the fact that this project wasbuilt outside the United States,we weren’thampered by the sorts of health depart-ment/building code restrictions that sooften limit creativity back home. The up-shot was that we were able to roll withideas – including therapy jets in the catchbasin, for example,as well as several shal-low areas and a number of creative stepand bench configurations – all withoutfear of the design being vetoed later on.

By contrast, the Key Largo project hasturned into a sort of cat-and-mouse gamewith local health and building depart-ments, both of which have very strongroles to play in determining what we’ll beable to do with the design.

commercial keysMy involvement in the Ocean Reef

project began at a very early stage. InCircle 27 on Postage Free Card

14 WATERsHAPES � MARCH 2006

aqua culture

fact, the architects had yet to do any con-ceptual work at all, so we were able totake a role in determining the overalllayout. Ultimately, we suggested twoseparate swimming pools, one afreeform affair intended more for adultuse with swimming lanes, a vanishingedge and tropical styling, the other alazy-river pool with an island in the

middle – quite conducive to family fun.We worked with a variety of people

from ADP Group as our participationmoved forward, and the design enduredmany tweaks and iterations before welanded on a final set of plans that are nowunder review for permits. Although theprocess was extremely positive and con-structive, this team required more con-

vincing than did the landscape architectsfor the Jamaica project, and it was a rela-tionship that definitely required more pa-tience and persistence on our part.

Local codes were a real challenge: Therecould, for example,be no shallow loung-ing areas – but a beach entry was accept-able so long as we observed some strictslope requirements. We were also limit-ed in the percentage of the pools’perime-ters that could be obstructed by planters,but on the sides of the beach entrance,wehad to insert barriers on the sides so thatno one could step down into the shallowarea. (Go figure.)

The lazy-river pool offered its shareof roadblocks: We ran into trouble, forinstance, because the river course is tobe only eight feet wide, which made theinspectors worry about people jump-ing in and hitting their heads on the op-posite wall of the pool. As a result, wehad to limit the number of places wherepeople could enter or leave the pool –as I saw it, a nonsensical process fromend to end.

What all of these hurdles and negotia-tions mean is that we have to coordinateconstantly with the architects to meet le-gal requirements while staying withinbounds of their vision of the design. I’dmade it known to the clients and the ar-chitects up front that we weren’t going totake the project unless they were willingto push the envelope despite what the au-thorities might say. Wanting somethingspecial for their property, the clients andthe architects were willing to go along.

At this juncture, we’re still workingthrough a number of issues, not the leastof which is that existing rules don’t makeprovisions for lazy rivers – even to the ab-surd extent that we have to call it a“counter-flow swim area”for them to dealwith it at all. Then there’s the bridge thatwill enable visitors to access the pool’s cen-tral island without getting wet: The codesdon’t allow for bridges, so it may well endup that the only way to get to the islandwill be by wading over to it.

large in chargeIn both of these projects, we have had

the advantage of working with high-endcommercial clients and equally sophisti-cated design professionals. Several times



aqua culture

during both processes, it has struck methat ego could have become a real issue –but that never turned out to be the case.

Coming from the pool industry, I’vebeen accustomed to being the top dog onprojects – and I still am on many resi-dential ones. But in the Key Largo andJamaica projects I’ve discussed here,noth-ing would have gone smoothly had Ibrought my pool-industry baggage to thedoor. With egos set aside all around,we’vebeen able to work with and around eachother as a team and get things done.

To be sure, I’ve been part of teams inwhich one or more members haven’t donea particularly good job of keeping egos incheck. When that happens, it’s a real chal-lenge to not respond in kind, especiallywhen the egos start getting in the way ofoptimum results. I’ve found that the keyto traversing this tricky terrain is keep-ing the needs of the project firmly in mind– and keeping discussions as specific tothe work and the details as possible.

In my case, successfully melding myideas with the visions and ideas of othersmart people has almost uniformly yield-ed positive results, not the least of whichis that one project almost invariably leadsto others. In fact, almost every team-ori-ented project I’ve worked on has led di-rectly to other projects down the line. It’ssimple math: Instead of having just ahomeowner or property manager ap-preciate my work and sing my praises, Ihave sets of two or three or four players,any one of whom might give me a callnext week, next month or next year.

Yes, working as part of a team takessome adjusting, and it’s not always easy.For me, however, the rewards in terms ofsuperior results, expanding knowledgeand networking opportunities are mak-ing it well worth the effort.


17WATERsHAPES � MARCH 2006

WS

Brian Van Bower runs Aquatic Consultants,a design firm based in Miami, Fla., and is aco- founder of the Genesis 3 Design Group;dedicated to top-of-the-line performance inaquatic design and construction, this orga-nization conducts schools for like-minded pooldesigners and builders. He can be reachedat [email protected].


ith everyone’s thoughts turning to spring, it’s an opportune timeto think about new ways to enhance our garden designs.

In addition to considering basic components that lay the groundwork fordesigns, I’d like to suggest looking for more specific ways to define and per-sonalize our clients’ spaces. You might explore gardens made for entertain-ing, for example, or spaces free of allergy-aggravating plants.

One prospect I’ve been considering lately (and will discuss here in detail)is ways of attracting beneficial insects to my gardens – specifically butterflies.

I always enjoy watching butterflies float through my backyard, gently landon their favorite flowers and then spread their wings to reveal stunning dis-plays of nature’s artwork. I remember chasing butterflies through our yardwhen I was a kid, trying to catch them in a butterfly net. That may havebeen politically correct at the time, but today, I’ve abandoned that barbarityin favor of simply enjoying the color and movement they add to any setting.

Many of my current clients recall the same sort of past experiences (and

current joy) and express a desire for me to in-tegrate plants that attract butterflies into theirdesigns. You might think that just about anyflowering plant will do, but the fact is that thereare plants specifically reputed to draw thesebeneficial creatures into a garden.

setting a stageFrom a design perspective,any kind of move-

ment in a garden adds interest, so incorporatingplants that attract butterflies is a subtle way ofencouraging that impression amid all the stat-ic lines created by borders and pathways. As longas the visitors do no harm, any animal or in-sect that finds its way into an outdoor setting willadd a dynamism that will draw visitors into thespace and keep them there.

Butterflies in particular add a real spark togarden settings. They come in various shapes,sizes and colors. My area enjoys lots of orange-and yellow-toned species – an invasion that eventhose who despise the thought of yellow or or-ange in their gardens will come to love. (I chal-lenge anyone to find a client who wants to re-pel butterflies from a garden just because theyare orange or yellow!)

The experts on the subject start with the ob-vious observation that butterflies prefer color-ful settings,but they go on to say that butterfliesalso seem to prefer natural gardens to those thatare manicured or overly maintained. Thismakes sense: Plants in the wild aren’t regular-ly clipped or sheared, and my own experienceshows that gardens with plants in random,over-grown,naturally integrated forms are more like-ly to be visited and inhabited by butterflies.

Just like all of us, butterflies need food andshelter. We can easily meet one need by provid-ing them with nourishment in the form of theirfavorite flowering plants,and we can create shel-tering areas or include butterfly houses and food

By Stephanie Rose

natural companions

Any kind of movement in a garden adds interest, so

incorporating plants that attractbutterflies is a subtle way of

encouraging that impressionamid all the static lines created

by borders and pathways.

The Butterfly Garden

W


for caterpillars that will support an ongo-ing natural cycle.

It’s also true that butterflies prefer sun-ny spaces, mainly because sunlight helpsthem maintain a body temperature thatlets them stay active. Moreover, floweringplants that grow in the sun also tend to pro-duce more nectar for their dining pleasure.

The experts say they are attracted tomasses of same-colored flowers, so a bigclump of Echinacea, for example, is morelikely to attract a butterfly than is a sin-gle specimen plant in the same setting.Planning a garden that flowers through-out the year is another way of addressingtheir ongoing interest and need for nour-ishment.

One other important factor to consid-er is that adding chemicals and certainfertilizers to a garden might discourageany influx of butterflies. If the additionsmake the food less tasteful, the butterflieswill reject the nectar and the caterpillarswill seek other leaves. (It’s kind of like go-ing to a bad restaurant: If you aren’t hap-py with the food,you’ll move on to a bet-ter establishment next time.) And ofcourse, the butterflies or caterpillars mayeven be killed if the chemicals or fertil-izers are toxic.

choosing wiselyFor watershapers, it’s significant to note

that butterflies are drawn to water as wellas to plants. As mentioned before, theyprefer natural environments, so they are

more likely to be attracted to ponds,streams or other natural watershapes thanto pools or spas. But even something assimple as a birdbath can be incorporatedinto any design as a way to support plantsand flowers in creating an attractive en-vironment.

Butterflies are also drawn to nooks andcrannies as shelter and for protection dur-ing the winter months. Old or dead trees,rock walls,aging wood or other structuresthat offer small, protected spaces shouldbe embraced as a necessity in this type ofgarden. Although these features may at-tract other insects your clients may notconsider so fondly, there may need to besome trade-offs.

Of course, butterfly populations varyfrom place to place, which makes it dif-ficult for me to suggest plants that willwork in any setting or for any specificbutterfly. There’s also the point the ex-perts make that butterfly size and anato-my are big factors in determining theplants to which they’re attracted. Be thatas it may, I offer this brief list of plantsthat have worked for me as a means oftriggering your own thought processes.There’s much from which to choose!

� Syringa vulgaris (Lilac). The flow-ers and fragrance attract butterflies in thespring.

� Digitalis (Foxglove). Dependingupon your location, these can bloomthroughout much of the year to offer but-terflies a reliable food source.

� Viburnum. Mostly grown for its fo-liage, many varieties of Viburnum offerattractively clustered flowers, particu-


natural companions

For watershapers, it’s

significant to note that

butterflies are drawn to

water as well as to plants.

They prefer natural

environments, so they are

more likely to be attracted

to ponds, streams or other

natural watershapes than

to pools or spas.


WATERsHAPES � MARCH 2006 21

larly during spring.

� Ceanothus griseus (Carmel Creep-er). A great slope cover, this plant’s fra-grant flowers have a long blooming sea-son that lasts through spring in warmerclimates.

� Buddleia davidii (Butterfly Bush).As the name suggests, this is a favorite ofbutterflies and has always been a sure-fireselection for me. It comes in many col-ors, including white, pink, lavender andpurple and additional benefits of thisplant are its fragrance and its utility in cut-flower arrangements.

� Cistus (Rockrose). These drought-tolerant plants have striking flowers thathang on through the long, hot summermonths.

� Lavender. These plants, with theirflowers and fragrance,will attract not onlybutterflies, but also curious humans.

� Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly WeedorMilkweed). Often thought of as a pestin the garden because of its milky sap,thisplant is nonetheless a prime source of foodfor Monarch butterflies and is known toattract many other butterfly varieties.Planted in masses, its golden flowers are

sure to attract a variety of winged creatures.

� Campanula (Bellflower). A strongspring bloomer, this plant comes in manyvarieties and forms.

� Centranthus ruber. This epitomizesplants suited to butterfly attraction: Itscompletely natural form and significant

blooms offer an ongoing food source forany type of butterfly.

� Alcea Rosea (Hollyhock). The tallspires of hollyhocks provide spaces forbutterflies to rest in the sun, high abovelower border plants.

� Verbena. Available in many sizes

and varieties, these small but multi-flow-ering plants should be scattered through-out any butterfly garden in one form oranother.

� Achillea (Yarrow). Yarrow’s flatflower clusters not only provide food forbutterflies, but in sunny spots double asplaces to perch and bask in the sun.

� Lantana. As is true with Centran-thus, this plant’s multi-clustered flowersare the typical form suggested by expertsfor attracting butterflies.

� Lonicera (Honeysuckle). Thisflowering vine is well known for at-tracting hummingbirds as well as but-terflies. Its fragrance and exposure ver-

satility makes it a great selection in lotsof settings.

� Heliotropium arborescens (Helio-trope). I particularly like the dark pur-ple variety of this flowering plant: It helpsadd depth and dimension to otherwisebrightly colored palettes and has a greatfragrance as an added bonus.

a final noteWhen my daughter was five, we sent

away for a butterfly house that came com-plete with larvae, a cellophane-sided boxto serve as a shelter and food for themto grow on in preparation for their trans-formation into butterflies.

We watched the caterpillars spin cocoonsand weeks later emerge as beautiful but-terflies. Better still,we timed their growthand release to coincide with my daughter’sbirthday party in July, so everyone in at-tendance could enjoy watching them flyout of their artificial habitat and dispersethemselves throughout our garden.

This is the sort of experience that makesbutterflies a favorite – and I’m certain yourclients will agree!



natural companions

WS

Stephanie Rose runs Stephanie RoseLandscape Design in Encino, Calif. A specialistin residential garden design, her projects of-ten include collaboration with custom poolbuilders. Stephanie is also an instructor onlandscape design for the Genesis 3 DesignGroup. If you have a specific question aboutlandscaping (or simply want to exchangeideas), e-mail her at [email protected].

HOW GOOD DO YOUWANT TO BE?

Genesis 3 is proudly sponsored by Jandy, Pentair, Aquamatic, Pebbletec, Sta-Rite, SonarGuard, Aqua Magazine, AutoPilot/AquaCal, Oceanside Glasstile and WaterShapes.

GENESIS 3 - THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS


Intensive 20-Hour Design Courses“Elements of Design”

April 4-6, 2006Orlando, Florida

“Measured Perspective”April 6-8, 2006

Orlando, Florida

“The Vocabulary of Architecture & Style”April 18-20, 2006

Manhattan Beach, California

“Basic Color Theory”April 20-22, 2006

Manhattan Beach, California

Founded by: David Tisherman, Skip Phillips and Brian Van Bower

(615) 907-1274 / Toll Free: (877) 513-5800 / FAX: (615) 907-7338 / www.genesis3.com / [email protected]

Program cost: $1,990 (each course)Please visit our website for complete course descriptions.

Professional Drawing & Presentation SchoolSeptember 25-29, 2006

Scottsdale,Arizona

Genesis 3 co-founder and principal instructor DavidTisherman will lead an intensive, week long, professional-level course designed to show participants what it reallytakes to develop top-flight drawing and presentation skills.

Open to a limited number of applicants, the school willcover rendered flat plans in multiple presentation formats,markers, vegetation, surface materials, water effects, eleva-tions, color prespective rendering and much more.

Developed at the request of pool professionals, landscapearchitects and graduates of Genesis 3’s Level I and Level IIschools, this dynamic program is based on professional-level drawing courses that David Tisherman taught atUCLA for 12 years. Cost (including accommodations, mealsand all drawing materials and media): $6,300.

Applications are now being accepted. Visit our websitefor a complete course overview.

want to clear up a misconception: Although the programs my colleaguesand I stage through Genesis 3 are easily associated with the “high end”and

the work of several people associated with our programs may be said to existat the cutting edge of watershape design, it is simply untrue that we are pro-moting construction standards that somehow go above and beyond what therank-and-file industry should be practicing.

When we talk about watershape “design”and “construction,”it’s importantto understand that although those two things go hand in hand, they are com-pletely separate considerations. Design is what makes pools and spas eitherordinary or extraordinary and is about materials selection, shape, color, ele-vations, lighting, water effects and location in a setting – basically a wholerange of aesthetic possibilities, bells and whistles.

For its part, construction is a completely different animal. Whether you’rebuilding a basic, unadorned rectangle or an all-glass-tile pool with a van-ishing edge hanging off the side of a mountain, the standards for con-struction should always be the same, without exception. In fact, when itcomes to construction, I believe the terms “high end,”“cookie-cutter” or


“midrange” are completely irrelevant.Our industry isn’t about promoting high-end

construction practices to be followed by a few;instead, it’s about pursuing and advocatingsound construction practices that should be ap-plied by everyone.

just awfulIf there’s one thing about the watershaping

world that continuously drives me crazy, it’s theexistence and persistence of a sub-professionalmindset that says creative designs and affluentclients deserve one set of standards,while projectswith more affordable designs can acceptably bebuilt to another, less stringent set of standards.

To me, middle-class clients who’ve commis-sioned modest projects deserve watershapes builtto standards every bit as reliable and effective asaffluent clients who are looking to impress theirwealthy neighbors.

Frankly,viewing things any differently amountsto a form of class-based discrimination. To thosewho cut corners on basic construction just be-cause the project price tag isn’t in six figures andyou feel a need to scrape out a bit more profit, Isuggest either changing your approach – or get-ting out of this business and going off to ruinsomeone else’s industry!

I feel so strongly about this because I’ve en-countered absolutely jaw-dropping constructionmisadventures over and over again. I’m not talk-ing about a state of affairs of years gone by, notby a long shot. No, I’m talking about projectsthat are being built right now, and they’re abloody disgrace.

In these pages,I’ve often compared watershapesto automobiles. We all know the marketplaceis filled with affordable cars as well as those thatcost more than some people’s homes. Imaginea world in which Hondas, Toyotas, Chryslers,

By David Tisherman

tisherman: detail 61

All clients deserve to have their watershape investments protected and their patronage

respected by our industry in the form of reliable

structures and systems.

Standard Bearers

I

Fords and Volkswagens were built to alower safety standard just because theycost less than $100,000. If the automo-bile industry applied the same approachthat we see in watershaping, road fatali-ties would shoot off the charts.

Yes, Ferraris, Porches, Jaguars andBMWs are prettier and have fine leatherinteriors,advanced electronics,expensivepaint jobs, fancy wheels and dozens ofother details that are superior to more-affordable cars, but they are not superiorwhen it comes to having functioningbrakes and headlights or reliable engines,seat belts and air bags.

Every driver on the road deserves to op-erate a vehicle that is safe and reliable.Period. I can imagine some of you think-ing that watershapes are luxury items anddo not warrant being seen in the samelight as automobiles. To that I say,“Bunk!”

First of all, watershapes represent sig-nificant investments to those who signthe checks, and these clients deserve tohave their investments protected and theirpatronage respected by our industry inthe form of reliable structures and sys-tems. Second, there are safety concernswith watershapes, and in some very im-portant respects, inadequate construc-tion does in fact result in physical hazards.

punch listsTo make this point more clear, let’s get

specific. (And forgive me for specificallysticking with pools and spas here, as it isthe focus of my experience and expertise.)

Let’s begin with concrete itself, the mostfundamental of the materials we use. I’vebeen stunned time and again when I’ve been





involved in cases where core samples of ex-isting failed structures indicate that concretehas been applied to 1,500 psi or less. Theseshells,of course, should be built with con-crete at a minimum of 2,500 psi.

There’s no mystery to why someonewould go with less. It doesn’t take a de-tective to know that these weak structuresare out there because some contractorsdeliberately fail to put enough cement inthe gunite or shotcrete mix in order tosave money and boost the bottom line.They hope, of course, to elude detection.After all, the concrete structure is invisi-ble once the work is finished, and if itdoesn’t fail, who will be the wiser?

I get angry just thinking about that ra-tionalization. It is unethical,crooked even,and it should never happen – but it does,unfortunately, and probably on a dailybasis among some builders.

And what about structural engineering?One of the Top Three Stupidest Thingsanyone has ever said to me came up justlast year when a subcontractor remarked,“Why do you want to bring in a structur-al engineer? All they do is ruin projects.”

Let me be very clear: No builder in thisbusiness determines the structural designor the ultimate cost of a shell or its sup-porting substructure. The soil conditionsdo! This is why it is dangerous to buildany concrete structure without the inputof a geologist,soils engineer and structuralengineer. Even so,I know at this very mo-ment that a huge number of projects arebeing built without this crucial informa-tion and engineering support.

And how about structural steel? I’mamazed at those who, lacking a structur-

al design,will more or less “eyeball”a steelstructure, maybe using #3 rebar on 18-inch centers with no idea whether or notthat is what the situation requires. Thenthere are those who don’t use dobies toprovide necessary clearances between thesteel and the soil. This one blows mymind! If the steel isn’t encased in the con-crete, the structure is not properly rein-

forced. Yet we see it all the time: Rebarlying right against the soil as the concretecrew begins shooting.

To think that some people wonder whypools crack – simply mind-boggling!

the beat goes onIn some cases, there are builders who

actually tell their clients what they’re up



This project is bad on many levels.First there’s the soil, which is notnative, was never compacted andwas strewn with junk (roots andother debris) at the time the con-crete was applied. Also, the fram-ing was slipshod, lightweight andbound to move during concreteapplication. Then there’s the use offlex pipe, which has not been re-commended for watershape appli-cations for years, particularly not inregions (such as the one in whichthis pool was ‘built’) where freeze/thaw conditions prevail.


to on some fronts and try to pass it off asa good thing. One of the great examplesof this is found in the area of plumbingand circulation systems.

For years now,we at Genesis 3 have beenpushing the notion that if we’re going tobe in the business of moving water throughpipes,it’s mandatory (not to mention com-mon sense) to apply fundamental hy-

draulic science to the process. That onlyseems reasonable, but we live in a timewhen there are many people out there whostill use small pipes and oversized pumps.

I suppose the twisted logic goes some-thing like this: We can save money on theplumbing by going with a smaller size,butwe’re going to give the customer more bangfor the buck by upsizing the horsepower

on the pump (at a somewhat greater cost,of course). After all, if one horsepower isgood, then two must be better.

There may have been a time years agowhen people in this industry trulydidn’t know any better, but these daysthere are absolutely no excuses on thatfront. Sound hydraulic information isavailable from every single manufactur-er of pumps, motors and filters; Genesis3 offers detailed coverage of these topicsin its Level 1 and Construction schools;good information has been publishedrepeatedly in all the trade media; andseminars on hydraulics are presented atjust about all trade shows, good and notso good.

We as an industry know that largerplumbing and smaller pumps make formore efficient circulation and thus moreenergy efficiency and longer service livesfor the components. Still,under the guiseof “doing the client a favor,” there arethose who stick to a false and antiquat-ed way of designing circulation systems.Is it really that hard to follow manufac-turer recommendations for pump, filterand plumbing sizing?

Then there’s the subject of main drainsand safety. Out there in the real world arelots of pools with oversized pumps on un-dersized plumbing attached to single maindrains. Flat out,you’re endangering yourclients if you still build (or remodel) thatway when you should, in fact,be splittingyour main drains, upsizing your plumb-ing and shrinking your pumps on bothnew construction and renovations. It’ssimple: Do the job right and measurablerisk virtually disappears; do it wrong and



about the “high end”or the “cutting edge”or custom-versus-volume production.Genesis 3 or no Genesis 3, what I’m talk-ing about here is a fundamental obliga-tion everyone in this trade has to provideclients with a baseline of quality con-struction based on reliable technical in-formation. It’s a moral issue, an ethicalissue and simply the right thing to do.

I’m not saying you have to bring free-way-type,A+ engineering and construc-tion to basic pool projects. What I am say-ing is that we as an industry need to faceup to our responsibilities,raise the bar andbe aware at all times that cutting costs withbasic construction is a foolish way toscratch a little extra profit out of a project.

In an environment where too many

you’re courting disaster not just for yourclients, but for yourself as well.

The same sort of thing applies to elec-trical systems. It’s staggering to me thatthere are watershapers out there whoput people, water, metal and systems runby electricity together in the same envi-ronment without properly bonding andgrounding metal components andstructures in and around the water. Thisisn’t even something that saves mon-ey: It’s just plain laziness and careless-ness (not to mention a code violation),and if it’s you, I can’t help asking: Areyou trying to kill someone?

on pointsI could go on with this cathartic exer-

cise,but I’ll stop here with my discussionof sound and unsound construction be-fore I even get to pet peeves having to dowith tile setting (can you believe there arejobs out there where no tile float was everapplied to the raw concrete surface?) orsetting up deck drains (forget about vi-sually concealing drains – how about justmaking them work?) or plans lacking inany detail. There are also points to bemade about using rebound to build steps(one of my constant agonies) and decksbuilt without proper expansion joints.

My point is, you can look at just aboutany aspect or detail of watershape con-struction and find scores of examples ofhow people in our industry, workingright now in backyards all across thecountry, are completely ignoring whatmostly boils down to commonsenseconstruction practice.

Let me stress the fact that this isn’t



The litany of horrors with this pro-ject continues with the fact thatno steel was placed for the stepsor benches — an open invitationto shrinkage cracks — and whatsteel there is has been arrangedhaphazardly and below minimunstandards. This makes it hard tocredit the builder for the splitdrain, and while I can see a bond-ing clamp, who knows whether itwill actually be used? No clientdeserves such shabby servicefrom a contractor — no ifs, andsor buts.

watershapes deserve Ds and Fs when itcomes to construction quality, it’s timefor all of us to hit the books, learn goodconstruction practices and pick ourgrades up at least to Cs. In an environ-ment where Bs and As are reserved forprojects that exceed construction normsand deploy great materials, exacting tol-erances and fine finish work, if we can’tat least strive for Cs as an industry, we’renot providing products, we’re offeringa disservice.

Circle 29 on Postage Free CardCircle 103 on Postage Free Card



WS

David Tisherman is the principal in twodesign/construction firms: David Tisherman’sVisuals of Manhattan Beach, Calif., andLiquid Design of Cherry Hill, N.J. He is alsoco-founder and principal instructor forGenesis 3, A Design Group, which offers ed-ucation aimed at top-of-the-line performancein aquatic design and construction. He canbe reached at [email protected]

By way of contrast to the other project depicted in this column, the constructionapproach seen here — framing, steel, plumbing, the works — is essentially bullet-proof and will lead to a positive outcome for the client. Yes, doing things the rightway takes knowledge, supervision, determination and a proper budget, but it’s some-thing every client has a right to expect.


‘I want the house to look as though it is floatingon water.”

That was what architect Victor Canas told me whenI was called out to visit this site on the northwesterncoast of Costa Rica. It was a brilliant idea,certainly onethat befitted the spectacular mountaintop setting andits breathtaking 360-degree views of rugged coastline,forest greenery and assorted perspectives to horizonsin all directions.

I had the advantage in this case of already havingbuilt a much more ordinary swimming pool for thehomeowner some 20 years ago – and the further edgeof being the only watershaper in the country in thebusiness of designing and building such ambitious pro-jects. When the architect showed me an overhead viewof the home’s footprint and the space for the pool, Iwas inspired: I knew right away that this was going tobe something special.

For his part,the client simply said that he wanted some-thing wonderful and was willing to trust my judgment.I knew he was serious,given the soaring architecture ofthe home and its spare-no-expense approach to everydetail. More than a year in the making, this pool is themost ambitious and beautiful I’ve tackled to date.

Floating onSunshineFloating on

SunshineBy Juan Roca

Pho

tos

by J

ordi

Mira

lles,

Bar

celo

na, S

pain

.

Set high on the bluffsoverlooking Costa Rica’s

Pacific shoreline, this dramaticcomposition in water, tile and water-in-

transit effects stands as his best work todate, asserts watershaper Juan Roca. Whenit first appeared on the magazine’s cover latelast year, it was still under construction. Nowit is complete, he says, which leads him toshare new images of his masterpiece in mod-ern design and high-caliber watershaping.

33

The High LifeAs I explained in the December 2005

issue of WaterShapes (“Pure Vision,”page48), Costa Rica has experienced an up-surge in affluence in recent years. Withinthat sweeping trend, however, this par-ticular home project sets a new standardfor grandeur and opulence amid theCentral American landscape.

As is true of many of the high-end pro-jects I’m doing these days – especially thosewith similarly glorious ocean views – thevanishing edge is a prominent feature here.In this case, the approach has been taken

to something of an extreme: On the viewside, the pool has a sweeping, 100-foot-long edge that stretches from one end ofthe house to the other.

The majority of the wet area is actu-ally just six inches deep – a reflecting poolcovered in more than 3,300 square feetof a rich, dark-colored tile mosaic in theMoroccan Desert pattern from Ocean-side Glasstile (Carlsbad, Calif.). A small,deep section is tucked up alongside aportion of the home’s angled glass walls– an unusual configuration with a depththat is nearly indistinguishable from

most viewing angles.The entire broad surface reflects both

home and sky, providing an extraordi-nary intermingling of reflected light,gen-tly rippling water and mirrored views ofthe home’s architecture from a variety ofexterior and interior spaces. I’m proudof the fact that I brought several ideas ofmy own to the design process, includingthe key decision of setting the elevationof the water at the same point as the in-terior floors of the home.

The water is separated from the home’sglass panels by a narrow slot-overflow


The setting is ideal for a vanishing-edge application, with water-on-wa-ter and water-on-greenery views in every direction across the water-shape’s broad reflective surface. And the fact that the water is shallowover much of that surface brings the glass tile into play in ways thatlend a wonderful texture to the overall setting.

feature that runs the entire length of thepool. This almost-invisible border wasinspired by similar treatments I’ve seenin the work of the late, great architectJohn Lautner and his equally amazingprotégé, Helena Arahuete.

This knife-edge effect, coupled withthe sameness of levels between the inte-rior and exterior spaces, allows for easyvisual connections between the spacesand creates a fantastic intimacy betweenthe living spaces and the shifting reflec-tions outdoors. Now that it’s finished,the effect is sublime and seems effortless,

but it required substantial support in hy-draulic design and construction plan-ning from Skip Phillips, co-founder ofGenesis 3 and owner of Questar Pools &Spas of Escondido, Calif.

To ease passage to and from the “float-ing” home and provide clear access togreat viewpoints, we installed woodenbridges and cantilevered decks over thewater’s surface at several points. All ofthese features are set off by glass pan-els and stainless steel mountings that in-tegrate them as dynamic extensions ofthe home’s interior.

Precise SimplicityWith hundreds of linear feet of water-

in-transit edges – every inch crucial to theoverall visual effect – our crews workedextraordinarily hard to establish all weirswith near-zero tolerances. It paid off:When we started the circulation systemup for the first time, we made only a fewminor adjustments to achieve uniform-ly wetted edges at extremely low flow rates.

To move the water over the vanishingedge and into the overflow slots, we in-stalled three two-horsepower WhisperFlopumps from Pentair Water Pool & Spa


(Sanford, N.C.). The water is filtered bythree Pentair cartridge filters and is sani-tized by a saltwater sanitizing system fromAutoPilot (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) com-bined with an ozone-generating systemfrom DEL Ozone (San Luis Obispo,Calif.). At night, three PG 2000 fiberop-tic illuminators from Pentair enhance theambience.

The striking simplicity of the poolworks with the geometric minimalismof the home’s architecture to amplify thenear-intoxicating natural beauty of thesurroundings. I’ve spent enough time

on site to know that it can be difficultto keep your mind on what you’re doingbecause the views are so compelling. Theverdant coastline stretches literally as farthe eye can see, all the way to Nicaraguain the northwest.

So spectacular were the results that Icame to view photographing our work aspart of the project itself, not as an after-thought. I took scores of pictures as thework unfolded, and things were farenough along last fall that I was able toinclude a representative shot in myDecember article. But the images you see


The long views across the water are always spectacular no matter the vantage point or thetime of day, especially when taken in from a point at which you can clearly see that the wa-ter level is the same as that of the floors inside the home. But if you get up close with amore vertical perspective and the right light, you can also see the access point to thepool-depth section of the watershape alongside the home.


The sense that the home is afloat is enhanced by wooden structures that reach out over the water in the form of a bridge that does ac-tually span the water and by a section of deck that punctuates the vanishing edge to provide a uniquely inspiring viewpoint over wa-tershape, forest, coastline and ocean.

here aren’t mine: They were taken by a professional –a remarkable artist who did a particularly wonderfuljob of capturing the subtle dance of light on the wa-ter that takes place as the sky changes during the day.

As you’ll see in these images, as special as the poolmay be, our success here is all about the way the wa-ter reflects the setting. In that sense, this project wasnever about the pool, but about what it could lend toits exquisite surroundings by serving as a mirror tothat environment.

The way I see it, the pool is a giant looking-glassfrom which the home will rise forever, floating onan ever-changing canvas of light, color and be-witching beauty.



As day fades into evening, the setting undergoes a remarkable transition that truly brings out the best of the watershape’s reflective qual-ities. This is when the flow across the interior and exterior surfaces and the knife-edge slots make their boldest contribution – but atthe same time serve as little more than sidelights to the up-close reflections and the spectacular distant views.

Flames On

Pyrotechnic-effects expert Karl

Nettmann has been involved

with creating dramatic flame

effects for more than a dozen

years – first for television and

film productions and now in

landscapes and other ‘real world’

spaces. Here, he discusses the

range of effects that can be

achieved using fire, the technol-

ogy behind common systems

and basic safety considerations

that must be accommodated no

matter the simplicity or com-

plexity of an effect.

By Karl Nettmann



on movies and televisionshows through the past dozen years, I’ve developed a range of special ef-fects that focus specifically on fire. For the science fiction hit Men InBlack, for example, I was charged with devising the flame-spewingweapons wielded by Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in a spectacularscene in which they shoot down a flying saucer.

That system involved a range of safety issues along with devising a spe-cially formulated fuel (alcohol mixed with various metals) to create blueflames as well as a combination of inert gases and electronic control sys-tems that were used to extinguish the fire and protect the actors. As isthe way with so much in Hollywood,an onscreen sequence that lasts justa couple of seconds took my team months to design and build.

Of all the myriad effects I’ve built through the years, those that usefire are the most dramatic, complex and interesting. They’re also themost rigorously tested, because in the world of movies and live actors,there is zero tolerance for error when it comes to the use of these effects.

Starting about four years ago, I began turning my attention away fromthe entertainment industry and gradually came to focus on working withfire in landscapes and as a sculptural/artistic medium. Much as water-shapers wield and control water to create experiences for their clients, I’veendeavored to do the same in working with fire. I still work occasional-ly on film or television projects,but the use of fire in places where peopleare directly and more casually exposed to it is my passion these days.

Elemental ScienceThrough the years, I’ve come to develop a profound appreciation

and respect for fire, for the technology used to contain and control it andfor its ability to create powerful aesthetic experiences for those who safe-ly come near or view it. Whether in a room or a landscape or on a tele-vision or movie screen, it simply overpowers any other visual element inits environment.

One of the challenging things about fire effects in the movies is thataudiences have become desensitized to the presence of fire in the formof explosions,weapons,disasters and other infernos,which leaves effectsspecialists with the constant challenge of developing more and moreoutrageous effects.

In the real world of landscapes and/or interior spaces, however, fire isdramatic and compelling no matter how small or large a form it may take.Everything from candles and torches to fireplaces or fire rings become

Controlling fire

is one of the

hallmarks of

humanity, right

up there with

our capacity to

control water,

domesticate

animals and

use language.

Controlling fire

is one of the

hallmarks of

humanity, right

up there with

our capacity to

control water,

domesticate

animals and

use language.

As part of my work

41

immediate focal points and transform the ambienceas well as the way we view everything that’s bathedin the light of their flames. Where fire in the moviesis all about spectacle, in real-world environments ittends to be subtler. Nonetheless, I’d argue that it re-tains every bit of its awesome, elemental power.

That sense of potency probably has a lot to do withthe fact that controlling fire is one of the hallmarksof humanity, right up there with our capacity to con-trol water, domesticate animals and use language.Fire warms us, cooks our food, makes many formsof transportation and industry possible and,for thou-sands of years (until television displaced it), was thecenterpiece of our homes.

While it is profoundly productive, fire obvious-ly is also amazingly destructive. It’s a key compo-nent in religious ceremonies and private and pub-lic celebrations, but it’s also associated with war andthe ravaging of forests and grasslands. It warms,but it burns as well.

These productive/destructive dualities are why,from an aesthetic/design standpoint, fire evokes suchprofound emotions in those who view it and comenear it. When it’s surrounded by darkened spacesand lower light saturation, the eye literally blocksout the rest of the scene and perceives only flame.When it is under control, there is something inher-ently exciting about sitting near a fire – an ancientemblem of humankind’s mastery of nature.

We are strongly drawn to the natural, wild beauty


From modest firepits and torches to grand

applications of a monumental sort, fire

is fast becoming a more common design

feature for outdoor spaces both public and

private. And no matter the scale, these fire

features immediately become a dynamic

focal point.

42

Pho

tos

cour

tesy

Aut

omat

ed F

ire &

Wat

er E

ffect

s, L

as V

egas

, N

ev.

of fire,but we’re also keenly aware of the artificial struc-tures and systems that make it safe to approach – struc-tures and systems that enable us to view it withoutfear and get close enough to enjoy the warmth. I’veseen spaces where a designer has frustrated that in-stinctive attraction,the result often being that,as withwaterfeatures,observers will take it upon themselvesto defeat barriers and will traipse across planted areasor other obstacles to come closer.

The upshot of this human compulsion to bearound fire is that landscape and watershape de-signers must be fully aware of the power that fire en-compasses while putting it into safe and appropri-ate environments. Above all else, fire must be usedwith great and deliberate care.

Incendiary PerspectivesIn my work, I am endlessly intrigued by uses of

fire with water – a particularly powerful linkagegiven the fact that water can destroy fire. (The samesort of contradiction works in the opposite waywith fire and stone or metal in that fire can’t de-stroy either one, but I find fire and water to be themost compelling of all possible combinations.)

In the vast majority of situations,fire and water worktogether by virtue of proximity: A fire pit or fireplaceby a pool, pond or fountain, for instance, creates anexciting dance of light on the water’s surface, withthe reflective value of water working hand in hand withfire to create extraordinarily dramatic effects.

Applications that feature fire and water

together are always among my favorites,

perhaps because water has the potential

to destroy fire. Whether the surface is tur-

bulent or still, watching flames dance on

the water is mesmerizing in any setting.


Pho

tos

cour

tesy

Aut

omat

ed F

ire &

Wat

er E

ffect

s

Falling sheets, rivulets or streams of water that re-flect and distort the light of a fire all create constant-ly changing displays that will always draw the eye,buta reflected view of fire across a quiet pond or swim-ming pool can be equally evocative and often servesas the most mesmerizing element in a given landscape.

In some cases,we see systems that seemingly bringfire and water into direct contact – flames rising froma quiescent plane of water, or perhaps rising out ofthe top of a waterfall to create a volcano effect. All ofthese systems require a great deal of control of bothelements during design and installation if they are tofunction as intended for a long, serviceable haul.

As is true with water effects, the type of impressionyou want to make must be fully considered and ac-commodated from the design phase forward. In somerespects, it’s also similar to landscape or watershapelighting in that fire is best not left as an afterthought.

This means that the designer needs to understandand encompass a matrix of possibilities. A small,subtle candle effect with flame heights of an inch ortwo, for example, can be just the look you want. Butthen you have to decide whether to achieve it with can-dles, oil-fueled torches or permanently installed feedsystems that produce small flames with natural gas.

For larger effects – a medium-sized fire, say, with12-to-15-inch flames – you have to decide whetherthe flame is 15 inches tall with a narrow source or 15inches wide with a more diffuse source. If you opt

This sequence of photographs of a fire

effect on a waterfall demonstrates why

people are so fascinated by fire: As the

flames dance, they change constantly.

No matter how long a time you spend

watching them, they never fall into a pat-

tern or become predictable and boring.



45

for the latter,you’ll be working with a ba-sic omni-directional flame source of thesort commonly found in outdoor fire pits– an easy choice. But then you need todecide whether to contain it in a conven-tional way or to go for the unexpected andhouse it within a pottery vessel or metalsculpture and whether to place it near thepool or off in a planter – or even on a sep-arate deck or overhanging balcony.

Then there are extreme effects withflames in the 18-to-36-inch range: Theseare usually produced with large burnersdesigned to produce dynamic “fireball”ef-fects, and while they are less commonlyused in residential settings because theirradiant heat can scorch things several feetaway, they can be very dramatic if prop-er observer distances are maintained andthe surrounding structures,pathways andseating areas are designed to ensure aheightened level of safety.

In different applications, fire can beused to mark boundaries and pathways,as with tiki torches. These versatile oil-

Gas Pressure

As mentioned in the accompanying text, natural gas is preferred over propane as a choice forfueling decorative fire effects. Beyond the fact that natural gas is lighter than air and therefore notgiven to accumulating in low spaces (as is propane), it is also supplied at a constant pressure.

Homes on the outskirts of areas with developed utility infrastructures often rely on propanefor cooking and heating and feature large propane-storage tanks that must periodically be re-filled. As the propane supply in these tanks diminishes, the tanks lose pressure. (This is be-cause the liquid propane evaporates to a gas, a process that makes the liquid very cold and ef-fectively lowers the tank’s internal pressure.)

For temporary fire displays, I have seen hot-water “bath” systems used to battle this pres-sure-lowering effect. With permanent propane-based installations, there are also vaporizers thatuse flames to boil the propane and turn it from a liquid into a gas. (The famous volcano systemat the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas uses this type of system, as do various displays at amusementand theme parks.) These sophisticated systems are quite costly, which is a key reason theyare seldom seen in residential fire effects.

One of the reasons designers reach for propane in such high-profile settings is that it pro-duces a much richer orange flame than does natural gas. For the vast majority of residential ap-plications, however, natural gas is clearly the sensible option: It’s supplied directly to the siteat a constant pressure, you don’t ever have to refill a tank and, being lighter than air, it dissipatesmore quickly when released into the open air.

Another advantage of natural gas is that it stinks. While both propane and natural gas areinherently colorless and odorless, utilities add a rotten-egg smell to natural gas courtesy ofethyl mercaptan. This makes gas leaks easy to detect.

– K.N.


fueled devices can also serve a dual pur-pose as insect repellents when additivesare placed in the oil. In visual terms,how-ever, they can be used to create fascinat-ing effects as they flicker atop walls or be-hind plantings, trellises, glass panels,sculptures or metal screens. They can beused to frame distant views,highlight thecorners or contours of a body of water,define an entrance to a space or give shapeto an architectural or sculptural feature.

Shaping FlamesThe ranges of possible effects and the

systems used to generate them are both ex-traordinarily broad. For a great many ap-plications, manufacturers of fire systemsprovide reliable,off-the-shelf systems thatcome complete with burners, fuel-sourcelines, manifolds, ignition systems, elec-tronic controls,gauges and shut-off valves.In a vast majority of situations,making useof these pre-engineered systems and fol-lowing manufacturer directions and localcodes to the letter will do the trick.

For these purposes, companies such asAutomated Fire & Water Effects (LasVegas), Grand Effects (Mission Viejo,Calif.) and others provide standard sys-tems for fire pits, cauldrons, torches andmore. They can also work with you todevelop fully automated systems thatachieve a wide range of custom effects.

As is true with water, flame can beshaped in a number of ways. It can be di-rected into distinct, aggressive verticalshapes with high-pressure fuel systems,orit can display billowy, soft textures at lowpressures. It can vary in color from veryred and orange (with low-oxygen mix-tures) to very blue or even invisible withhigh-oxygen mixtures. (The more oxy-gen,the hotter the flame – and the less car-bon will build up on surrounding sur-faces.) A hot flame can even be used toheat an iron or steel sculpture to make itglow red/orange – a stunning visual effect.

What I’ve seen in recent years is the emer-gence of a growing number of sculptorswho use fire in their compositions. They’ll

make burner systems into details that areof equal aesthetic importance to the flameitself instead of treating them as utilitariandevices intended to do no more than emitflame. In some pieces, fire is used to reactwith metals including certain alloys of cop-per, aluminum, steel or titanium to pro-duce different colors: A flame against a hotsheet of copper,for example,will give off agreen tinge, while against steel it will gen-erate a vivid orange/yellow color.

Flames can also be designed to emergethrough perforated copper or stainless steeltubing bent into various shapes,a techniqueoften used to create walls of flame that arethin in depth from front to back, but po-tentially extremely wide and tall – or con-toured in some specific way. In smaller ap-plications, this technique can be used tocreate figures within fireplaces or fire ringsthat can represent a drawing or pattern ofsome kind, such as a company logo.

Flame can be channeled and manipu-lated to take on a directed (even literal)shape, such as a fish tail or a single, thin,




Modern technology and

imaginative artists are

taking flame effects to all

new levels of visual ap-

peal, using fire as a sculp-

tural material in the same

way watershapers have

elevated the special ef-

fects they achieve with

water. Recently, I’ve tak-

en things a step farther

by combining the two ma-

terials with startling inti-

macy, introducing a flam-

mable material to a water

stream to create incendi-

ary arches.

47

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upward-pointing stream. It can also beshot under high pressure to create fireballsor made to swirl like a tornado. In systemsI’m currently developing, flame is mixedwith water in pressurized nozzles to createarching, fully integrated fire/water mixes.

I’ve seen flames sprayed against upward-facing surfaces or licking along bankedstructures. I’ve also seen it choreographedand sequenced by electronic control sys-tems in animations reminiscent of danc-ing fountains. In subtler (but incrediblysophisticated) applications, I’ve seen ma-terials used to create the effects of low-burning embers that gently dance to illu-minate surrounding spaces and materials.

It is indeed a field where the skies – andour imaginations – are truly the limit.

Safety StandardsRegardless of technical sophistication,

all fire applications have some very basicissues in common,many of them centeredon safety. Those issues can be broken intotwo distinct categories: First, you don’t

want anyone to be hurt by coming in over-ly close contact with your fire effect and,second, you don’t want your controlledflame to start another uncontrolled fire.

This means, basically, that you mustcontrol the movement of people and thebehavior of the fire itself. Many of thesecharacteristics are dictated by localbuilding codes or by the National FireProtec-tion Association, specificallyNFPA 160 (“Standard for the FlameEffects Before an Audience”).

On a commonsense basis,you want thespace organized so that people must in-tentionally move across some obvious bar-rier to come in contact with the flames inorder to get burned. Also,you have to con-sider the proximity of fire to materials thatmight serve as a fuel source. Trees and oth-er plant materials or wooden structuresoverhanging fire sources are a verybad idea.

Environmental influences on the flameeffect should also be taken into account.Rain and the expansion of freezing wa-ter, for example,can damage crucial com-

ponents, while falling leaves can accu-mulate in an inactive flame effect and leadto an unwanted fire once the flames areturned back on.

In addition,structures that contain firemust be able to do so safely. That mayseem obvious,but there are some types ofstone materials – perhaps most notablyriver rock – that can explode into shardswhen exposed to fire. Glass that’s usedwith fire must be specifically designed toaccept extreme temperatures (as doesPyrex) for much the same reason.

Wind is a big safety issue with fire aswell. This has to do with the fact that aprolonged gust can blow out a flame, inwhich case the fuel can continue toemerge and become concentratedenough in an area around the burnersto become a perfectly flammable blendof fuel and oxygen. If a spark of sometype is inadvertently supplied to that fuel,it can create a fireball or column of flamethat will burn those nearby or start anuncontrolled fire.



Almost all control systems for flameeffects include flame sensors that will de-termine when the flame has extinguishedand will then automatically close valvesto stop gas emission. More sophisticat-ed systems include anemometers or oth-er sensors that automatically lower orcompletely shut off flames when the windvelocity or other predetermined safetyissues arise – such as a person standingtoo close to the flames.

This brings up a key consideration re-garding the fuel used in these systems: Thevast majority of decorative flames usepropane or natural gas, the latter being byfar more common. Natural gas is theslightly safer of the two because it is lighterthan air and will dissipate with relative ease.

By contrast,propane is heavier than airand will sink to the lowest level when re-leased from its source. If a propane burn-er is blown out by wind or some other leakoccurs,unintended ignition of the gas canbe catastrophic – as in cases where the gasfills up a nearby basement or equipment

vault and explodes violently when hit bya spark of any kind. (See the sidebar onpage 45 for more on propane concerns.

On more familiar ground, the outputof any fire system is measured in Btus(British Thermal Units), just as withheaters, furnaces or ovens. Proper linesizing relative to the Btu output is ab-solutely critical for effective and safe op-eration, with the distance between the“appliance” and the gas meter being acrucial factor, just as with pool heaters.

The creation of fire also generates gasbyproducts that must be taken into ac-count, including carbon monoxide andcarbon dioxide, both of which can massinto deadly concentrations near a flameeffect. The combustion process itselfcan also deplete the area next to theflame effect of much of its oxygen,which makes it important to ensure ad-equate ventilation.

In this and a range of other matters,component or system manufacturer rec-ommendations should always be fol-

lowed without exception.

It’s AliveWhen I consider fire as an artistic medi-

um as well as a technical challenge, I findit quite useful to think of it as a living thing.

That may seem absurd, but thinkabout it: Fire is “born”when oxygen, fueland spark come together. It consumes“food” in the form of flammable fuelsand will “grow” the more fuel and oxy-gen are added. It can “reproduce” bystarting other fires and will “die” whenrobbed of fuel and/or oxygen. In a de-sign sense, fire must be carefully con-ceived, fed, nurtured and tamed, as is thecase with many species of animals andplants we use to our benefit.

When used properly in a landscape,wa-tershape or interior setting, there are fewthings that will provide more interest, in-trigue, mystery, romance or excitementthan fire. For those who wield it creativelyand sensibly, fire effects may indeed bethe ultimate “turn on.”




orking successfully with hydraulicsystems requires two things: Under-

standing the definitions of the basic fac-tors involved in hydraulic calculations andseeing how those values relate to and in-fluence each other in the real world.

The last installment in this series of ar-ticles focused on the relationship betweenflow and velocity with respect to water.The related concept we’ll explore this timetakes our understanding of that key rela-tionship a step farther by exploring a spe-cific pair of additional relations summa-rized by two statements: Given a constantflow rate,

• the smaller the flow section of a pipe,the faster the velocity of the water

• the larger the flow section of the pipe,the slower the velocity of the water.

If we grasp the full meaning of thosetwo,related concepts,we take the first steptoward understanding basic fluid me-chanics as it pertains to hydraulic designfor custom watershapes. The last articleapproached this subject by examining the

continuity equation. This time, we’ll betaking a close look at the concepts of (andrelationship between) pressure and head.

What we’ll consider here is pressurein all of its forms (including vacuum)and the four measurable types of head.This will take us to Bernoulli’s equation,a complex mathematic construct thatexplains these fundamental aspects ofhydraulic science.

DIGGING INThe above is certainly a huge concep-

tual bite and the specific mathematics canbe challenging to absorb. But there’s a re-ward at the end: Putting all of these con-cepts in order and understanding the rel-evance of Bernoulli’s equation is the keyto seeing just why it is that faster water ve-locity means lower pressure and slowerwater velocity means higher pressure.

If we approach these important con-cepts systematically and figure out the re-lationships, we’re in a much better posi-tion to understand the systems we’re

designing and installing. Let’s begin bydefining some basic units used to measurepressure and head in all of their forms.

A cubic foot of water is a fundamen-tal unit used to define the basic proper-ties of pressure and head and can belooked at in several different ways. Forstarters, a cubic foot of water is equal to7.48 gallons and weighs 62.3 pounds atsea level. This cubic foot can also be seg-mented into 1,728 cubic inches orviewed as 144 water columns, each ofthem a foot tall with a one-square inchsurface area (Figure 1).

These 144 water columns are used todefine feet of head, that is, a one-foot-tallwater column with a one-square-inch sur-face area is equal to one foot of head. If thisone-foot-tall,one-inch-square water col-umn were put on a scale at sea level, itwould weigh .433 pounds. This tells usthat this one-foot water column or onefoot of head is equal to .433 pounds persquare inch (psi). If we took this sameone-foot water column and stretched it

The relationships among plumbing size,water flow, pressure and head are fun-damental to the science of hydraulicdesign, notes Steve Gutai, our residenthydraulics expert. Although the math-ematics defining those relationshipscan be complex, he stresses the factthat the basic concepts driving the sci-ence are something that anyonecharged with designing complex sys-tems should understand and applywith each and every project.

BalancedForce

By Steve Gutai

H y d r a u l i c F u n d a m e n t a l s

W


out to be 2.31 feet tall, it would have a weight of onepound or one psi (Figure 2).

This conversion – that is, one foot of headequals .433 psi and one psi equals 2.31 feet of head– is very important: We will use this informationto convert back and forth freely from head to pres-sure (a trick that will be used very heavily in fu-ture articles).

For its part,pressure can be defined as a force thatis perpendicular to the area of a surface. The usu-al place to read pressure on a swimming pool/spasystem is at the filter, where the force projected bythe water against the internal walls of the filter tankcreates pressure that can be read using a pressuregauge (Figure 3).

This type of pressure is called gauged pressure.In the pool/spa industry, we frequently refer tothis gauged pressure and that’s about it, but thisis not the only type of pressure we need to un-derstand in designing custom swimming pools,spas and waterfeatures.

Figure 4 shows the relationships among fourtypes of pressure. Atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psiand is the starting point for gauged pressure. Whenplaced below gauged pressure on a chart like this,atmospheric pressure is also called barometric pres-sure. When you put them together, gauged pres-sure plus atmospheric (or barometric pressure)equals absolute pressure.

An absolute pressure equal to zero generates acondition known to scientists as a perfect vacu-um and can be achieved only beyond Earth’s at-mosphere in the vastness of space. A vacuum ex-ists below atmospheric pressure and is normallymeasured in inches of Mercury (Hg) or negativegauge pressure.

1-sq.-inch by 1-foot-tall water column

1 cubic foot of water = 7.48 gallons1 gallon = 8.33 pounds1 cubic foot of water = 62.3 pounds

2.31 feet of head = 1 psi

1 foot of head = .433 psi

0 feet of head = 0 psi

filter tank or vesselof some type

psi gauge

14.7 psi gand higher

gaugepressure

0 psi g

0 psi atm

vacuum14.7 psi a

atmosphericpressure

absolutepressure

0 psiabsolute

barometricpressure

Figure 1: The 144 one-inch-square water columns in a cubicfoot of water are used to define feet of head. At sea level, oneof these units weighs .433 pounds.

Figure 2: Stretching the inch-square wa-ter column from 1 foot to 2.31 feet rais-es the weight of water in the column to1 pound – and literally defines ‘onepound per square inch’ or ‘1 psi.’

Figure 3: In a com-mon filter tank, pres-sure is the perpendic-ular force of waterpushing on the tank’sinterior – a pressurethat can be read usingthe tank’s pressuregauge. Pressuregauges read the differ-ence between ‘internalpsi absolute’ and ‘ex-ternal psi atmospheric’– which in turn equals‘psi gauged.’

Figure 4: The relation-ships between theforms of pressure areseen in this chart.Vacuum is considered‘negative pressure’ (thatis, pressure below at-mospheric pressure)and is expressed interms of inches of mer-cury (Hg) or by water-column feet (that is,feet of head).

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A perfect vacuum checks in at 30inches of Mercury, 33.9 feet of head or-14.7 psi as gauged pressure (again, seeFigure 4). Vacuum can be converted tofeet of head by using a multiplier of 1.13– another useful conversion factor.

HEAD EXAMINED In designing a hydraulic system,the first

step involved in selecting the proper pumpis understanding the amount of energy orhead required to move water to serve spe-cific applications,whether it’s about mov-ing water to a spa-jet manifold, a vanish-ing-edge weir or any of a number of otherpool, spa or waterfeature effects.

To work in this arena, we need to pullapart the terms head and feet of head anddefine four common terms from fluidmechanics: velocity head,pressure head,elevation head and head loss. The firstthree are about energy, while the fourthis used to describe friction loss and theconsequential pressure drop that occursin piping networks.


Figure 5: Differences in elevation create pressure in hydraulic systems. Balancing theflow within these systems is about working with and balancing elevation, velocity andpressure head – and vividly defines the need for proper pipe and pump sizing.

piping

pumptank


Lets look at the first three terms andsome fundamental hydraulic/mathematicnomenclature.

� Elevation head. This is the potentialenergy that occurs in the water as a resultof its elevation above some given point,with this difference in elevation being use-ful in solving basic problems in fluid me-chanics. The head or energy is convert-ed to work, for example, if the force ofgravity moves the water across a verticaldistance to some lower level.

In a system that has a pump, the twoelevation points might be the pump’scenterline and the water’s surface. If thesystem is gravity-fed, however, the twopoints could be two vessels at differ-ent elevations that are connected by agravity-feed line of some type. Theforce created by gravity is what moveswater in these systems.

The difference between the two ele-vations is the key, and the term delta Z(or ΔZ) is commonly used to describeZ1 – Z2, that is, the difference in eleva-

tions (Figure 5). Custom swimmingpools often have gravity-feed systems intheir hydraulic designs. Vanishing-edgepools, for example, require backflow-prevention devices because of potentialsiphoning effects that occur as a resultof elevation head.

� Velocity head. This is the kinetic en-ergy that occurs in the water as a resultof its velocity. The faster the water trav-els or the higher its velocity, the greaterthe kinetic energy or velocity head,whichis commonly expressed using the equa-tion v2/2g (where v is velocity and g isgravity). As we learned in the last arti-cle, high velocities occur when the pipe’sflow section or size decreases – the foun-dation for our discussion of the conti-nuity equation.

Applications in which high velocity isimportant would include spa jets or foun-tain nozzles – anything in which nozzleor outlet size decreases as the water flowstoward the point of discharge. The ve-locity is at its peak just before the dis-

charge point. This velocity head is ex-pressed in feet per second squared over 2gravities (with each gravity being 32.2 feetper second).

� Pressure head. This is the pressureenergy that represents the amount of workneeded to move the water within a pipeor conduit (again, see Figure 5). Pressurehead is required to overcome a pressureor vacuum in a piping network locatedup or downstream of a pump. Water al-ways moves from a region of high pres-sure to low pressure if the pipe size or flowsection remains constant,a phenomenoncommonly stated in pounds per squareinch as p144/62.3.

As mentioned earlier in this article,psior pounds per square inch is equal to 144divided by the specific weight of water,which is 62.3 pounds per cubic foot. Aone-foot water column with one squareinch of surface area translates to .433pounds. To convert psi to feet of head,we multiply psi by 2.31.

Understanding this specific relation-


ship helps us in sizing components basedon pressure and head in addition to flow– a key to proper specification of systemsincluding spa jets, fountains and in-floorcleanings systems – just a few of the wa-tershape systems that have both pressureand flow requirements.

Wrapping up this set of definitions,we come to head loss, which is the fric-tion loss or pressure drop that accu-mulates in the piping network as a re-sult of pipe lengths, fittings, valves andwater’s passage through assorted com-ponents. (This topic will be discussedin detail in the next article, where we’llcover both the coefficient of frictionand the Darcy equation.)

DOING THE MATHNow we come at last to Bernoulli’s equa-

tion, the mathematical construct used toexplain a concept known as conservationof energy.

Basic physics tells us that energy canneither be created nor destroyed in a

Circle 65 on Postage Free Card Circle 42 on Postage Free Card


Figure 6: Hydraulic-system design is all about balance and making certain that the pump you’ve se-lected will adequately overcome frictional losses and keep the other pressure factors in alignment

Energy atPoint 1

(P1)

Energy atPoint 2

(P2)

www.standardbronzeco.com

closed-loop system. It can only be trans-formed from one form to another.Bernoulli gave us a way of understand-ing the shift from one form of head to an-other – and offers us a key to under-standing the constant shifts from velocityhead to pressure head we are now readyto observe and accommodate in our pip-ing networks.

In essence, Bernoulli’s equation givesus a way of understanding the shift fromone form of head to another as a resultof conservation of energy. Simply put,the equation states that the total energyat any point is equal to the sum of theelevation head, the velocity head and thepressure head. If the system has no en-ergy added to it and there are no fric-tion losses, then the equation is Z +144P/P + v2/2g = H.

The reality, however, is that systemshave increases in energy because of theuse of pumps and friction losses becauseof piping and fittings. To accommodatethose factors, the equation is rewritten as

Z1 + 144 P1/P1 + v12/2g = Z2 + 144 P2/P2

+ v22/2g + hL. The changes reflect the dif-

ference as the water moves from pointone to point two. When the formulashows these two points, the energy bal-ance can be observed (Figure 6).

Don’t despair: You’ll probably nev-er, ever be called on to plug values intothis equation and actually come up withan answer. What you should under-stand is this: Bernoulli’s equation helpsexplain the shift in energy that occursin a piping system that has waterpumped into it and underscores the factthat there’s always a need for balance.That is, if the velocity of the water in-creases, then there will be a reductionin pressure; if there’s an increase in el-evation, there will be a reduction inpressure or velocity.

In other words, the sum total of thepressure head, velocity head and eleva-tion head will never change, but theproportions among them will. Whenwe add a pump, its head (or energy) is

equal to the difference in elevation, thedifference in pressure head, the differ-ence in velocity head and the friction-al losses attributable to the piping, fit-tings and components.

You may never need to do the math,but what you should know is that thesystems you’re developing are subject tosome heavy-duty rules that govern theirperformance. If you lack the expertiseor experience needed to put everythingtogether on your own, good system per-formance will only be assured if youknow where to go to get answers – andthen put the advice to good and pur-poseful use.

We’re still just part of the way into thisexamination of all you need to know todesign effective, efficient hydraulic sys-tems for a custom swimming pool, spaor waterfeature. A real understanding ofall the factors influencing what you do ex-tends beyond flow, head and pressure toinclude pressure drops – the subject ofthe next article in this series.



Developingwatershapes and landscapes for residentialclients can become an incredibly personal undertaking. Theproject featured here, for example, revolved around a clientwhose love of color and whimsy opened the door to land-scape designer Colleen Holmes’ involvement in a lengthy,joint quest for vivid materials and playful detailing for a set-ting that defies adequate description unless you look at itthrough the client’s own eyes.

56

57

This project was all about fun and finding ways to in-

fuse watershapes and the overall landscape with childlike

senses of playfulness and wonder.

At a glance, of course, it’s obvious that this particular

approach wouldn’t work for too many clients,but in this

case, we were working with a woman who wanted her

yard to express her love of color, her sense of humor and

her unparalleled inclination toward the unusual.

From our first meeting, I knew that this was some-

one who wouldn’t settle for anything that even ap-

proached the ordinary. Maybe it was the 12-foot-tall

fiberglass chicken she’d placed in her front yard or the

life-size hippopotamus in the backyard or her wildly eclec-

tic taste in art and interior furnishings or her fittingly off-

beat personality.

Whatever it was, from the outset I had the feeling that

this job would go in a direction all its own and would

almost certainly be among the most unusual projects

I’ll ever tackle no matter how much longer I stay in the

business. She was just like a kid in a candy store, most-

ly interested in anything that would make her laugh

or surprise her steady flow of guests. From day one, it

was obvious she wanted something that no one else

would ever have.

For more than three years, I worked side by side with

this terrific client, making suggestions, expanding ideas

and listening carefully to the way she talked about her

world – all the while looking for ways to incorporate

the wildest possible colors and materials into a design

that would, in its own way, make perfect sense – or per-

haps perfect nonsense?

SERIOUS

By Colleen Holmes


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GOOD LAUGHSTo my mind,the most important thing watershape and land-

scape designers do is communicate. Every client has a differ-ent personality and set of priorities and ideas, and it’s up to usto draw out their desires and apply our talent to the process ofrefining, expressing and creating a result that reflects their de-sires. That’s why I see every project as different, because everyclient is different.

These communication processes can be difficult to navi-gate, and in this situation, riding with the give and take wasutterly crucial. There were things the client wanted that I triedto alter, nudge and transform, for instance, and we engagedin many lengthy discussions before coming to agreement oneach and every detail. The result, I think, is an expression ofthe client’s ideas paired with my ability to make it work in thegiven setting.

It bears mentioning that all of the explosive color and whim-sical innovation she wanted required a huge amount of hardwork and research on my part. The pool alone, for instance,features more than 100 types of carefully selected glass tile,eachcarefully matched to its intended use. (It might go without say-ing at this point that we went through several conceptual de-signs as I successively accommodated her desire for whimsy.)

The setting for this effort was a large rectilinear backyard inthe verdant flats of North Hollywood, Calif. The accompany-ing house is shaped like a barn and has been festooned withantiques,artworks and architectural touches. The kitchen, forexample,has a tile creation mosaic that took a local artist near-ly five years to complete. When I arrived, the only part of the

58

The backyard is filled withunusual details, all aligned

with the client’s unique spir-it. From the artificial palm

nestled up against the clas-sic fountain to the vividly

colorful patio furniture, fromthe sensational decking

material and equally fantas-tic wall fountain to the glow-ing fireplace and welcoming

hippopotamus, everythingbespeaks an individual withan unabridged sense of ex-actly what she wants in her

surroundings.


composition that didn’t fit was the backyard – decidedly draband lacking in personality.

All I had to start with was the existing swimming pool (afunctional but unadorned rectangle) along with the afore-mentioned hippo. Beyond that, we were to strip the backyardback to bare canvas and revamp the space with a renovatedpool, stone decking,eclectic plantings,an outdoor kitchen/din-ing area, lighting treatments, sculptures and a range of smallwaterfeatures.

That’s a lot to accommodate, especially with a client whowanted to see several versions of the overall concept. In theensuing months, in fact, I offered at least five completely dif-ferent versions of the design for review,each one of which wentthrough multiple revisions that reflected the fact that thingschanged virtually every time we spoke.

Eventually,however, she settled on a concept that excited herand enabled us to proceed to get bids. But frankly, the designwas so unusual and sublimely silly that it was basically im-possible to get precise estimates even from our select team ofsubcontractors.

START TO FINISHOurs is a design/build firm that works primarily on upscale

residential projects. We prefer to provide installation servicesso that we can offer designs and then follow through with ourown quality control for the duration of the project. The clientrecognized that this particular project was going to be in a con-tinuous state of flux, and the fact that she trusted us to deliverhelped us to bring everything to fruition.



P


Product

Information Card

Advertiser Index:

For more information on advertisers and/or productsfeatured in this issue’s Of Interest section, circle thecorresponding Product Information Number on thepostage-free card opposite this page.

Rea

der

Ser

vice

Nu

mb

er

44 A & B Aluminum and Brass Foundry (pg. 52)(800) 733-4995 www.abfoundryonline.com

6 Advanced Aquaculture Systems (pg. 55)(813) 653-2823 www.advancedaquaculture.com/landscape

20 Aqua Vac Systems (pg. 53)(800) 327-0141 www.aquavacsystems.com

3 Aquamatic Cover Systems (pg. 3)(800) 262-4044 www.aquamatic.comAquatic Access (pg. 68)(800) 325-5438 www.aquaticaccess.com

77 Aquavations (pg. 12)(800) 429-4701 www.aquavations.com

118 Automated Fire & Water Effects (pg. 13)(702) 655-4074 www.automatedfireandwater.com

89 Bison Deck Supports (pg. 27)(888) 412-4766 www.bisondecksupports.com

27 CAT Controllers (pg. 14)(800) 657-2287 www.chemauto.com

8 Cover-Pools (pg. 71)(800) 447-2838 www.coverpools.com

11 Coverstar (pg. 19)(800) 617-7283 www.coverstar.com

29 Diamond Spas (pg. 30)(800) 951-7727 www.diamondspas.com

99 ECOmatic by Balboa Direct (pg. 21)(800) 645-3201 www.ecomatic.com

46 Emperor Aquatics (pg. 49)(610) 970-0440 www.emperoraquatics.com

103 Ewing Irrigation (pg. 30)(800) 343-9464 www.ewing1.comFascut (pg. 68)(608) 643-6678 www.fascut.com

122 Firestone (pg. 22)(800) 428-4442 www.firestonebpco.com

79 Floating Island International (pg. 16)(800) 450-1088 www.floatingislandinternational.com

16 Genesis 3 Schools (pg. 23)(877) 513-5800 www.genesis3.comGilderfluke & Co. (pg. 67)(800) 776-5972 www.gilderfluke.com

67 Grand Effects (pg. 48)(949) 697-5270 www.grandeffects.com

74 Great American Waterfall Co. (pg. 52)(888) 683-0042 www.gawcinc.com

41 Harmsco (pg. 29)(800) 327-3248 www.harmsco.com

96 Jandy (Water Pik Technologies) (pg. 72)(800) 227-1442 www.jandy.com

63 Macalite Equipment (pg. 8)(877) 622-2548 www.macaliteequipment.com

109 National Plasterers Council (pg. 31)(866) 483-4672 www.npconline.org

4 National Pool Tile (pg. 7)(888) 411-8453 www.nptgonline.com

62 Oase North America (pg. 46)(800) 365-3880 www.oasepumps.com

127 Peacock Pavers (pg. 20)(800) 264-2072 www.peacockpavers.com

107 Pebble Technology (pg. 25)(800) 937-5058 www.pebbletec.com

49 Pentair Water Pool and Spa (pg. 11)(800) 374-4300 www.pentairpool.com

Pool Design Software (pg. 67)(800) 772-6956 www.pooldesignsoftware.com

45 PoolFog (pg. 26)(866) 766-5364 www.poolfog.com

66 Praher Valves (pg. 17)(800) 461-4915 www.prahervalves.comRestoration Specialists (pg. 68)(877) 270-4872 www.restore-usa.com

35 Spray Force Mfg. (pg. 15)(800) 824-8490 www.sprayforce.com

114 S.R. Smith (pg. 69)(800) 824-4387 www.srsmith.com

42 Standard Bronze (pg. 54)(201) 339-1351 www.standardbronzeco.com

52 Stegmeier (pg. 28)(800) 382-5430 www.stegmeier.com

104 Subconn (pg. 9)(888) 245-1104 www.subconn.com

102 Tecno Industries (pg. 26)(800) 570-9974 www.tecnobrick.com

131 TXI Riverside Cement (pg. 67)(909) 635-1800 www.txi.com

65 United Elchem (pg. 54)(888) 671-7886 www.elchem.com

54 Vidrepur of America (pg. 45)(305) 639-2926 www.vidrepur.usWall Whale-GABco Products (pg. 68)(866) 888-8778 www.wallwhale.com

56 Waterway Plastics (pg. 2)(805) 981-0262 www.waterwayplastics.com

135 CenturyStone Concrete Products (pg. 66)136 Bobcat (pg. 66)137 Crystal Fountains (pg. 66)138 Ironsmith(pg. 66)139 In-Line Plastics (pg. 66)140 Pentair Water Pool & Spa (pg. 66) 141 TimberTech (pg. 66)142 Savio Engineering (pg. 66)143 Jandy (pg. 67)144 BBDeck (pg. 67)145 Pool Design Software (pg. 67)146 DEL Ozone (pg. 67)147 Caterpillar (pg. 68)148 Fogco Systems (pg. 68)149 Pavestone (pg. 68)150 RenoSys (pg. 68)151 Techni-Seal (pg. 68)152 Replications Unlimited (pg. 68)153 Acu-Trol (pg. 69)154 National Swimming Pool Foundation (pg. 69)155 Atlantic Water Gardens (pg. 69)156 Jungle Laboratories (pg. 69)

Of Interest Index:

Let your suppliers know where you found out about them: Mention codeWWSS330066 to identify this issue when contacting them by phone or the Internet

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� February 1999 (Vol. 1, No. 1)Tisherman on working in difficult soils; White onedge treatments; Lacher on expansive soils.� June 1999 (Vol. 1, No. 3)Phillips on water and decks; Parmelee & Schickon soils and geology; Anderson on water sounds. � August 1999 (Vol. 1, No. 4)Anderson on stream design; Adams on commu-nity waterparks; Gutai on spa hydraulics.� October 1999 (Vol. 1, No. 5)Holden on aquatic-design history; Mitovich ondry-deck fountains; Tisherman on site geometry.� December 1999 (Vol. 1, No, 6)Finley on Japanese gardens; a roundtable on poolsand landscape design; West on color rendering. � February 2000 (Vol. 2, No. 2)Hersman on lighting design; Macaire on faux-rock installations; Andrews on glass mosaics. � March 2000 (Vol. 2, No. 3)L’Heureux on project management; Long on steelcages; Forni on installing and maintaining lakes.� April/May 2000 (Vol. 2, No. 4)Schwartz on garden access; Anderson on stream-beds; Nantz on watershapes and architecture.� September 2000 (Vol. 2, No. 7)Davitt on designing for small spaces; Altvater onthe importance of aeration; Hetzner on sheet falls.� Nov./December 2000 (Vol. 2, No. 9)Arahuete on John Lautner; L’Heureux on stretch-ing laminar flows; Benedetti on satellite surveying.� January/February 2001 (Vol. 3, No. 1)Holden on a retro-look design (I); Fleming onupscale approaches; Gutai on pump technology.� March 2001 (Vol. 3, No. 2)Moneta & Farley on site-specific design; Benedettion fiberoptics; Alperstein on golf-course water.� April 2001 (Vol. 3, No. 3)Jauregui on inspired clients; Dirsmith on frostyfountains; Tisherman on deluxe finishing.� May 2001 (Vol. 3, No. 4)Reed on sculpture gardens; L’Heureux on se-quenced water; Brandes on restoring riverfronts.� June 2001 (Vol. 3, No. 5)Winget on fun-inspired waterforms; Holden onsurvey formats; Schwartz on classic stonework (I).� July/August 2001 (Vol. 3, No. 6)Rugg on pond basics (I); Ruthenberg on perime-ter overflow; Schwartz on classic stonework (II).� September 2001 (Vol. 3, No. 7)Rugg on pond basics (II); Urban on energy sav-ings; Pasotti on interactive waterplay.

� October 2001 (Vol. 3, No. 8)Tisherman on hilltop views; Hagen on naturalstream work; Schwartz on classic stonework (III).� Nov/December 2001 (Vol. 3, No. 9)Straub on Kansas City’s fountains; McCloskey onthe Getty Center; Tisherman on Fallingwater.� January 2002 (Vol. 4, No. 1)Phillips on Hearst Castle’s watershapes; Boweron the Raleigh Hotel pool; Roth on Katsura Rikyu.� February 2002 (Vol. 4, No. 2)Marosz on project integration; Moneta on spa-edge details; Affleck on scupture and water.� May 2002 (Vol. 4, No. 5)Anderson on pond essentials; Pasotti on inter-active waterplay; Gibbons on ‘stellar’ fiberoptics.� June 2002 (Vol. 4, No. 6)Altorio on civic fountains; Gutai on skimmers;Beard on working with landscape architects.� September 2002 (Vol. 4, No. 8)Rosenberg & Herman on site-sensitive design;Dirsmith on long-term design; Gutai on filters.� October 2002 (Vol. 4, No. 9)Copley & Wolff on modernizing fountains; Bethuneon imitating nature; Tisherman on edgy colors.� Nov/December 2002 (Vol. 4, No. 10)Holden on Villa d’Este; Hobbs on Maya Lin’s wa-tershapes; Phillips on water in transit.� January 2003 (Vol. 5, No. 1)Fleming on high-end ambitions; Harris on deco-rative interior finishes; Gutai on surge tanks.� February 2003 (Vol. 5, No. 2)The Beards on collaboration; Yavis on customvinyl-liner pools; Mitovich on Microsoft’s campus.� May 2003 (Vol. 5, No. 5)Zaretsky on sensory gardens; Freemanon hydraulicretrofitting; Hanson on water/stone sculpture.� June 2003 (Vol. 5, No. 6)Gunn on fountain whimsy; Tisherman on water-shaping for an art collector; Holden on tile.� July 2003 (Vol. 5, No. 7)Fintel on attracting birds; Lacher on structural en-gineering; Alperstein on golf course design.� August 2003 (Vol. 5, No. 8)Miller on site-specific fountains; Gutai on plumb-ing joints; Holden on period-sensitive restoration.� September 2003 (Vol. 5, No. 9)Hebdon on borrowing naturalism; Ruddy on in-door designs; So on modernist sculpture.� October 2003 (Vol. 5, No. 10)Mitovich on dry-deck fountains; Roth on liner is-sues; Marckx & Fleming on glass tile.

� November 2003 (Vol. 5, No. 11)Holden on carved stone; Shaw on roles of con-sultants; Forni on period-sensitive renovation.� December 2003 (Vol. 5, No. 12)Five-year article and topic indexes; five-year indexfor all columns, 1999-2003.� January 2004 (Vol. 6, No. 1)Ruddyon enclosures; Lacheron steel and concrete;Forni on water quality for natural watershapes.� February 2004 (Vol. 6, No. 2)Varick on nature and architecture; Benedetti onprotecting stone; Kaiseron grand-scale watershapes.� March 2004 (Vol. 6, No. 3)Morris on kinetic sculpture; Cattano on collabo-ration; Hebdon on water and settings for healing.� May 2004 (Vol. 6, No. 5)Rowley on main-drain safety; Ewen on purpose-ful restoration; Dallonson high-wire watershaping.� June 2004 (Vol. 6, No. 6)Dallons on a hilltop treasure; Mitovich on the D-Day Memorial; Slawson on Japanese inspiration.� July 2004 (Vol. 6, No. 7)Benedetti on fortifying concrete; Shaw on fountain‘standards’; Holden on Italy’s watershapes.� August 2004 (Vol. 6, No. 8)Bravoon Olympic-scale restoration; Martin &Testeron water and music; Jauregui on clients and styles.� September 2004 (Vol. 6, No. 9)Abaldo on a grand-scale vision; Gutai on valves;Lennox Moyer on principles of lighting water.� October 2004 (Vol. 6, No. 10)diGiacomo & Holden on watershaping’s role; Allenon integrated spaces; Grusheskion a river’s history. � November 2004 (Vol. 6, No. 11)Abaldo on grand-scale detailing; Freeman on wa-ter-chemistry ABCs; Hughes on naturalistic design.� December 2004 (Vol. 6, No. 12)Revisiting 25 projects that define The PlatinumStandard in watershaping.

Note: The listings here represent partial con-tents of the available issues. In addition, all2005 and 2006 issues are available!� January 2005 � September 2005� February 2005 � October 2005� March 2005 � November 2005� April 2005 � December 2005� May 2005 � January 2006� June 2005 � February 2006� July 2005� August 2005

Soon after we secured the constructioncontract,however,she decided she wantedto rework the design yet again, adding anoutdoor fireplace and a couple of new wa-terfeatures. It was a never-ending process,but it was one that held few surprises for usafter our experience in the design phase.

One of the first things we did after con-tracts were signed was go shopping forstone – not locally, but at a stoneyard lo-cated 200 miles to the south, nearCalifornia’s border with Mexico. At first,she was drawn to a very expensive (butsurprisingly conservative) limestone deck-ing, the sort of stone we see all the timeon high-end projects.

In this case, all I had to do was look ather and say,“Are you kidding? This isn’tyou!”to get her to turn her attention to abeautifully expressive combination of rosequartz and what I call “candy stripe,” atype of limestone richly striated with reds,pinks and creams.

She quickly fell in love with this base

color palette, which we later augmentedwith materials in just about every color inthe rainbow. Before we were through,we’drounded out the palette with a blizzard ofbrightly colored glass tile and stone frag-ments, an Art Deco-style mural, fiberop-tic lighting,specimen stone,flag and ledgertreatments, colorful fabrics (courtesy ofthe umbrellas, awnings and patio furni-ture) and amazing hothouse plantings.

One of the reasons we ended up withfive waterfeatures in all was the fact thatshe’d keep running into new materials thatshe absolutely loved, leaving me with theneed to incorporate them somehow.(Three out of the five were developed wellinto the construction process.) That same“gotta have it”principle applied to detail-ing for the outdoor kitchen, the plantingsand placement of such disparate items asa giant Coca-Cola machine,artificial palmtrees lit internally with fiberoptics and anarray of dangling “firefly” lights.

Late in the process, we even found a


Among many amazing qualities of thebackyard is the way entirely differ-ent moods are encompassed withina single space. On the one hand is awonderful beach-scene mural set un-der a colorful awning right next to anenormous Coca-Cola display case,while on the other is a weeping walldedicated to the memory of theclient’s son. As a designer, I was em-boldened at every turn by her will-ingness to explore all of these formsand possibilities.

new home for the hippo courtesy of a bedof colorful riparian plantings. The port-ly fellow had already been moved sever-al times by now,and at one point his con-crete “riverbed”had already been pouredand its river-blue glass tiles already pur-chased. Ultimately, however, it was de-cided to move him to a new space and lethim serve as an unofficial greeter forguests emerging from the house to en-ter the garden for the first time.

CENTER STAGEAs we learned early on, this was not the

first time the client had tackled the back-yard.

Previous work had focused on a largetiki hut and a pool that had been finishedin a pebble surface punctuated by dis-connected glass-tile mosaics of fish andpathetic-looking seaweed. Both outcomeswere dreadful: The hut was massive andextremely dark inside, and the mosaicsjust didn’t assert themselves to her liking.

It was certain she’d be satisfied to discardthose elements and start over.

Our first thought with the pool was tore-plaster the surface, keeping the fish(maybe adding a few more) and redoingthe tile line. As we got into the demolition,however,a number of the fish mosaics weredamaged – a possibility to which she’d beenalerted before we started. It wasn’t longbefore we agreed to strip the pool com-pletely, leaving only the shell intact as thefoundation for an all-new finish.

At first we focused on the tile line, forwhich a random geometric pattern hadbeen designed using a range of colorfulone-by-one glass tiles. Then we startedthinking about fish again and agreed thatwe needed several additional underwaterelements to make the whole thing hangtogether. For a while, we talked about anall-glass-mosaic finish.

Even though she was seldom concernedabout costs, I found that the all-tile optionpushed her out of her comfort zone. As

an alternative, I suggested a softly coloredHydrazzo finish to set off mosaic elementsthat would be woven throughout the pool.Before long, we’d settled on doing thedeep-end wall of the pool in an all-tile ren-dition of an underwater kelp-bed sceneand adorning a shallow, semi-circularledge on the opposite end with a vivid mo-saic depiction of hibiscus blossoms.

Developed in collaboration with scoresof suppliers, the deep-end mosaics in-clude dozens of fish and sea creatures,un-derwater rocks and a series of swirlingcontours suggesting the subsurface flowof a powerful current. It also includesbeams of yellow sunlight penetrating thesurface, a detail inspired by my own ex-periences while scuba diving in the clearwaters off nearby Catalina Island.

This extreme variety was once againthe result of the client’s impulsive nature:Every time she’d see a new type of tile,she’d fall in love and we’d end up figur-ing out how to make it work. Often,she’d



Tile from dozens of suppliers has beenarrayed in the pool’s elaborate depths.From the kelp beds on one end to the hi-biscus blooms on the other, the level ofdetail, the depth of the colors and thesheer joy of the composition all shinethrough. Again, it’s a one-of-a-kind in-stallation for a distinctly one-of-a-kindclient, and the outcome is simply dazzlingin a disarmingly playful sort of way.

just order things on the Internet, havethem shipped to our fabricator and thenwe’d go take a look at what she’d bought.Frequently, we ended up having to aug-ment her purchases with other tiles ofcomplementary colors so that we couldmake everything hang together visually.

I wouldn’t suggest developing a mosaicprogram in this way,and there’s no doubtthat such an approach would fail in mostcircumstances. But in this case, placedagainst all of the other vivid colors and ma-terials in the rest of the project, the morewe embellished the mosaics, the better itall seemed to work.

FIRES, FOUNTAINSAND FRESCOS

As mentioned above, the impetus forthe multiple waterfeatures and many ofthe other elements came directly from the

client’s desire to continually expand therange of materials we were applying.

The fireplace, for example, makes useof a captivating rose quartz paired withpurple/lavender quartz and translucentUtah Ice stone, now illuminated fromwithin by the dancing fire and the rays oflight at sunset. When coupled with thesurrealistic nighttime surroundings, thewhole structure becomes luminous – andI’ve never seen anything quite like it.

Adjacent to the deep end of the poolis a large grotto/waterfall structure.Although it’s made of a faux stone,we gaveno thought to making it mimic a natur-al waterfall, instead giving it a deliberate-ly architectural/sculptural look. The keytwist with this feature involved the useof dual-level weirs with hot-pink andlavender fiberoptics: The upper weir can-tilevers over the lower one, creating nest-ed layers of sheeting water – another un-usual effect befitting a whimsical setting.

Opposite the grotto/waterfall on the farend of the yard, we built a weeping “icefountain” so named because it’s madewith a white, crystalline material knownas Utah Ice. (As the project moved for-ward, tragedy beyond belief struck andthe client’s grown son passed away in anaccident; so she wanted the fountain tobe built and dedicated to him.)

Appropriately, water emerges fromspaces between the dramatic crystals andgives a literal appearance of crying. Wefinished its basin with an elegant, translu-cent,multi-colored glass tile and embed-ded small, pink-granite hearts in thestonework. Amazingly,despite its solemndedication and appearance, a wonder-ful sense of whimsy, love and beautycomes shining through even here.

The registry of dramatic touches goeson and on: There’s the courtyard fountainmade of pieces of wildly colored foundry-slag glass,a wishing-well fountain,the an-tique benches and the pieces of wrought-iron fence salvaged from the home oflegendary entertainer Liberace. There’salso a tile-and-granite-finished outdoorkitchen area;a planting plan so diverse thatthe lists of bamboos and bromeliads alonebeggar description; and a stunning mur-al painted in plaster on one of the wallsof the house to set off part of the patio area.

That mural depicts a partially clad

woman enjoying a pink martini in a handwith pink fingernails, her toes adornedwith jewels. The woman lounges at thebeach with a number of colorful cabanasand an array of beachgoers in the back-ground. The sky at the top is emblazonedwith constellations of stars articulated byhundreds of twinkling fiberoptic lights.

NOT TOO MUCHThe plain truth is that telling the full

story of this job almost certainly wouldrequire many more pages than what yousee here. In some sense, it would be bestif you all could come over and see the set-ting for yourselves: It’s the only real wayI know to understand and experience thespace.

Way back when we started, I had thisoverarching notion that the entire com-position would reflect the mood and feel-ing one has at that magic hour of twilight,when the world begins to glow with rich,warm pinks, reds and oranges turning tosoft blues and eventually fading to indi-go. Although our color palette ultimate-ly expanded to encompass most pointson the color wheel, we managed to holdonto that original vision and have,I think,captured the remarkable transitions thattake place in the soft light of early evening.

What we’ve ended up with is hard todefine in stylistic terms,but the overall ef-fect encompasses the level of playfulnessaugmented by the client’s unique senseof romance. To a degree, the whole set-ting flows from a very adult sensibility –albeit one vested with almost an excess ofpersonality.

Through the years,my client and I havebecome close friends, a bond that kept uson the same page through some trials andtribulations and enabled us at times to standback and laugh together in the delight thatcomes from accomplishing something gen-uine and unique. The project tested mylimits,but I must say that it now seems verystrange to move along with projects of amore conventional type, if only because Imiss the fun and camaraderie I experiencedin this unforgettable backyard.

Every time I come back to this projecteven in thought, I find myself filling upwith a special sense of creative freedom,love and silliness. All of it amounts to anexperience I know I’ll never forget.


In the Pool

With all of the contours of the mosaicsthat had to interface with the Hydrazzo,the finish work inside the pool shell be-came quite tricky in some places, espe-cially in areas feathered into the deepend’s complicated mosaics.

I must give credit where it’s due to thetile installer as well as to the plasteringteam, which did an absolutely amazingjob of installing the polished exposed-aggregate finish in and around all thatglass tile.

Above the tile line is a thin ledger-stonedetail that cantilevers slightly over theedge. This detail arose because wecouldn’t obtain stone to match the deckthat was thick enough to work as cop-ing – an unusual consequence of thequarry’s having been closed because ofsome sort of environmental concern.

It looked as though we had a realproblem until I suggested using a muchthinner flagstone to create an unusualstacked effect at the water’s edge. In thiscase, necessity led to a solution in perfectkeeping with the unique spirit of the en-tire project.

– C.H.

IRONSMITH offers a line of pedestrian-prooftrench grates in a wide array of styles, ma-terials and finishes. Available in cast iron,aluminum or bronze, the grates come in 4-,6-, 8- and 12-inch widths and can be orderedin any desired custom width. They come innine different patterns, are available in anyspecified radius and come complete with preformed steel troughs forstraight sections. Ironsmith, Palm Desert, CA.


OF INTERESTOF INTEREST The following information has been provided to WaterShapes by product suppliers. To find outhow to contact these companies, look for the Product Information Card located on page 60.

CENTURYSTONE CONCRETE PRODUCTS offers a sur-facing system that can be used indoors or outdoorson both flat and vertical surfaces. When applied as a1/8- to 1/4-inch coating over an existing surface, theproduct can be stamped with a wide variety of patternsto mimic stone, tile or brick while saving the cost ofremoving and replacing otherwise stable substrates.CenturyStone Concrete Products, Mesa, AZ.

Circle 135 on Reader Service Card

SSUURRFFAACCIINNGG SSYYSSTTEEMM

BOBCAT offers the T140, a track loader thatis compact enough to work in small spacesyet powerful enough to handle big jobs. Theloader is just 56 inches wide and has an op-erating capacity of 1,400 pounds. The tracksfeature a design that provides an ideal bal-ance between flotation and traction, and thecab is designed for safety, comfort, visibility, easy operation and themonitoring of 14 key functions. Bobcat, West Fargo, ND.

CCOOMMPPAACCTT TTRRAACCKK LLOOAADDEERRSS



CRYSTAL FOUNTAINS has introduced the ChoreoSwitch,an all-in-one package that offers an easy, cost-effec-tive way to create interactive water features and dry-deckdisplays. Using some of the company’s most popularprogramming sequences, the system brings jumping,popping and chasing effects (complete with light andmusic) to parks, shopping malls, theme parks and res-idences. Crystal Fountains, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

IINNTTEERRAACCTTIIVVEE WWAATTEERRFFEEAATTUURREE CCOONNTTRROOLLLLEERR


TTRREENNCCHH GGRRAATTEESS

SAVIO ENGINEERING offers the Pond Free WaterfallWell, an enclosure that protects hidden pump com-ponents from the crushing forces of rock and wa-ter. Designed for vanishing-waterfall and endless-stream applications where there’s no standing waterand no pond to maintain, the units are made of atough, injection-molded material that eliminates theneed for a metal grate. Savio Engineering, Santa Fe, NM.

IN-LINE PLASTICS offers geosyntheticmembranes for all applications: aqua-culture, decorative ponds, golf-course wa-terfeatures, streams, recreational pondsand more. Made with premium HDPE,polypropylene, PVC and LLDPE resins,

the membranes are available with thicknesses from 6 to 100 milsand offer excellent resistance to chemicals, UV light, punctures, tear-ing and cracking. In-Line Plastics, Houston, TX.


LLIINNEERRSS AANNDD CCOOVVEERRSS

PENTAIR WATER POOL & SPA has introduced theIntelliFlo 4 x 160 pump. The device features variable-speed technology that saves energy and money whilelengthening pump life. The pump can be programmedat up to four distinct speeds – for example, one speedfor the filtration cycle, another for spa operation, an-other for a waterfeature and a fourth for any other pumpfunction. Pentair Water Pool & Spa, Sanford, NC.

HHIIGGHH--PPEERRFFOORRMMAANNCCEE PPUUMMPP



TIMBERTECH has introduced EarthwoodPlanks that replicate the look of costlytropical hardwoods for use in deck-plank-ing applications. Made from a patent-ed formulation of pure plastic resins andhigh-quality wood flour, the planks have

no knots, splinters or curves and will not warp or experience insectdamage. Each plank cuts, drills and fastens like wood, but no sealingis required. TimberTech, Wilmington, OH.

AARRTTIIFFIICCIIAALL--WWOOOODD PPLLAANNKKSS


WWAATTEERRFFAALLLL WWEELLLL


DEL OZONE offers water-treatment systems scaledto the needs of commercial and public aquatic facil-ities. Designed for vacuum operation and equippedwith onboard oxygen concentrators that reduce thecost of operation, the ozone systems reduce chlorineand bromine use by up to 80 percent and provide wa-ter that is safer, free of chloramines, cleaner, clearerand easier to manage. DEL Ozone, San Luis Obispo, CA.

JANDY has introduced PureLink, an integrated sys-tem that unites the AquaPure salt chlorine genera-tor with the AquaLink RS controller – a combina-tion that offers easy installation, superior reliability,a flexible user interface and the advantages thatcome with seamless communication between de-vices. The system comes in two models: one forpools up to 15,000 gallons, the other for pools up

to 40,000 gallons. Jandy, Petaluma, CA.


CCHHLLOORRIINNEE GGEENNEERRAATTOORR

BBDECK offers a system that conceals retractedpool covers and their mechanisms beneath arotating deck section. Designed to allow fulluse of all pool edges while providing completeaccess to the pool cover for cleaning and main-tenance, the sturdy device’s top can be finishedto blend in with surrounding decking of any type and rotates up to 90 de-grees to get completely out of the way. BBDeck, Ketchum, ID.

PPOOOOLL CCOOVVEERR CCOONNCCEEAALLEERR



POOL DESIGN SOFTWARE has added abonus compact disk featuring 1,000 con-crete stamp and stencil textures to its PhotoImaging Program. The imaging softwareallows the contractor to create a virtual ren-dering of a client’s complete backyard, in-

cluding a range of swimming pool/spa shapes, waterfalls, landscaping– and now stamped and stenciled concrete patterns. Pool DesignSoftware, Jensen Beach, FL.

SSTTAAMMPP//SSTTEENNCCIILL CCDD


OOZZOONNEE GGEENNEERRAATTOORRSS




OF INTERESTOF INTEREST


FOGCO SYSTEMS offers misting systemsfor three types of applications: patio cool-ing to reduce outdoor temperatures byup to 40 degrees with billions of waterdroplets; Mistscaping to blanket water-falls, stone structures and landscaping ina gentle fog; and FogDeck, a system installed during construction tointroduce a blanket of fog across the surface of a swimming or reflect-ing pool. Fogco Systems, Chandler, AZ.

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CATERPILLAR offers the H55Ds hydraulichammer for demolition and site clearing.Designed for high productivity and reliabili-ty, the unit features a simplified design thatreduces the number of parts by almost half(compared to the previous model) for easi-

er maintenance. The device also features a higher blow rate and 25percent more power for superior production from the 436-pound tool.Caterpillar, Peoria, IL.

HHYYDDRRAAUULLIICC HHAAMMMMEERR


RENOSYS offers FuturaPool, a modular public pool fornew construction. Features include a one-piece braceassembly; durable, PVC-clad laminated stainless steelwall panels; and fully engineered, fully integrated con-struction technologies for applications in municipal,competitive and therapeutic pools as well as in zero-depth and wavepools in club, hotel and light-commercial settings. RenoSys,Indianapolis, IN.


MMOODDUULLAARR PPUUBBLLIICC PPOOOOLLSS

PAVESTONE offers a complete line ofdecorative paving stones, edgers, re-taining wall units, site furnishings anderosion-control products to aid design-ers in creating beautiful, affordable, low-maintenance patios, walkways, walls,

planters, plazas and driveways. Made from concrete and availablein a wide variety of styles and colors, the products are laboratorytested for durability and strength. Pavestone, Grapevine, TX.

CCOONNCCRREETTEE PPRROODDUUCCTTSS



REPLICATIONS UNLIM-ITED has introduced threenew textures (high, medi-um and low profile) for itsspa skirts, walls and backdrops. Offered in bothrigid and flexible versions that are easily wrappedaround and fastened or glued to any substrate,the products come in sheets to fit outdoor ap-plications of various sizes and are available ina range of standard and custom colors.Replications Unlimited, Hazelwood, MO.

FFAAUUXX--SSTTOONNEE SSPPAA SSKKIIRRTTSS

TECHNI-SEAL offersHP Polymeric Sandfor pavement joints.The product’s sand/binder combination isideal for pool decksand stays within joints to provide stability and dura-bility for concrete, clay or natural stone pavers. Itinhibits weed growth and resists insect infestationand comes in two colors: tan or gray. The prod-uct is applied dry and hardens after being sprayed.Techni-Seal, Boucherville, Quebec, Canada.

PPAAVVEEMMEENNTT SSAANNDD


Restoration Specialists

www.restore-usa.com

877-270-4872

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JUNGLE LABORATORIES has introduced the Pond Fizz Tabs line of pond-care products. The line includes seven types of pre-measured, fast-dis-solving tablets that condition, shade and/or clarify the water or combat prob-lems with fungi, parasites and ick infestations – with just one tablet per 50gallons of water. All products ease pond care by quickly releasing treatmentswith a fizzing action. Jungle Laboratories, Cibolo, TX.


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ATLANTIC WA-TER GARDENShas introducedEchoChambersfor pondless wa-terfall features.

Available with 250- and 800-gallon capaci-ties, the units are equipped with a removablegrate system that offers easy pump accesswhile using more water and fewer rocks toenhance sound effects. The self-supportingpolyethylene receptacles have lifetime war-ranties. Atlantic Water Gardens, Egg HarborTownship, NJ.


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NATIONAL SWIM-MING POOL FOUN-DATION offers aCertified Pool-SpaInspector (CPI)Training CD to helppublic and environ-

mental-health officials conduct effective in-spections and help pool and spa operatorsmaintain exceptional facilities. The program ispatterned on actual inspections and was de-veloped with technical advisers from six keystates. National Swimming Pool Foundation,Colorado Springs, CO.


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ACU-TROL offers theAK110, a micro-processor-based con-troller designed tomonitor and control allchemicals in pool and

spa water in combination with the compa-ny’s AKColor system for treatment of com-bined chloramines. The unit measureseverything from pH and ORP to chlorineconcentration and temperature and feedschemicals to maintain the water in speci-fied ranges. Acu-Trol, Auburn, CA.

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atershaping has changed dramatically through the past several years,andwe all could probably come up with a hundred different reasons why.

Here’s the upshot: Clients are no longer merely asking us to build pools,spas or other bodies of water. Instead, they’re asking us to create complete set-tings that include water. And when you compare where we are now to wherewe were, say, seven years ago, it’s as though everything is different.

What the changes mean is that many of us have been or are being forced toseek out more sophisticated approaches to the design process. I recently fin-ished a book that provides amazing insight into exactly that process: BasicElements of Landscape Architectural Design by Norman K. Booth (WavelandPress, 1990).

The book was recommended to me by fellow landscape architect and water-shaper Kevin Fleming, and I’m thrilled to have it. Despite the 1990 publicationdate, the book is used as a college textbook and is still widely available today.

As I was reading this extraordinarily practical, clear, well-organized com-pendium on landscape architecture, I kept wishing it had been part of my stud-ies back in college. Booth does an amazing job of breaking down the field’s var-ied disciplines into concise, separate but entirely interrelated discussions inseven chapters covering land forms,plant materials,buildings,pavements, sitestructures,water and, finally,how they all come together in the design process.

I could go on for pages describing his coverage of these subjects, but let’sjust look at some highlights. The first chapter, for example, discusses land-forms and how the various elements of the land and its topography will in-fluence a design’s style and details. He offers great examples, discussing theway the flat spaces used for the gardens of Renaissance France resulted in tra-ditions of geometry and hard lines – and then explaining how sloped spaces

inclined 18th-century English garden designersto use softer, curved shapes and complexly lay-ered views.

The fourth and fifth chapters (on pavementand site structures, respectively) offer wonder-fully specific information about hardscape struc-tures. He discusses everything from recom-mended frequencies for expansion joints to thetypes of hard surfaces and their characteristics.Although the book isn’t about construction perse, Booth offers useful detail on the proper con-struction of staircases and walls with a discus-sion of the desired ratios of treads to risers forsteps, for example,or how many steps you shouldhave before inserting a landing and the properheight of handrails.

The sixth chapter – on water – is one of thebest treatments I’ve ever seen coming from thearchitectural perspective: He explores key issuesof reflection, surface area, the sound of mov-ing water and how various types of watershapeswill influence the character of a space.

He wraps this all up with a final chapter onthe design process and,specifically,how you me-thodically use all the elements previously dis-cussed to create designs that meet clients’ re-quirements. He also supplies a terrific checklistfor site analysis and an equally useful breakdownof the phases of design leading up to a detailed,finished plan.

Perhaps best of all, this is one of the few text-books for the field that goes into residential de-signs as well as designs for institutional and com-mercial properties. Too often, this sort ofcoverage is omitted from books and collegecourses alike. At 315 pages, this long book is afeast of variety when it comes to details and tech-nical specifics – the kind of book that becomesa reference you’ll consult over and over again.

To me, it’s exactly the sort of primer we allneed when clients ask us to move beyond thewater’s edge and create a well-designed exter-ior environment.

By Mike Farley

book notes

Plans on Design

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Mike Farley is a landscape architect with more than20 years of experience and is currently a design-er/project manager for Gohlke Pools in Denton, Texas.A graduate of Genesis 3’s Level I Design School, heholds a degree in landscape architecture from TexasTech University and has worked as a watershaperin both California and Texas.

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