Just northwest of Washington D.C. in Georgetown, Crystal, an international water feature specialist, has helped regenerate Washington Harbour with a spectacular modern fountain.

Washington Harbour, as the added British "u" in the harbor name would indicate, is an upscale destination on the Potomac River waterfront, a coveted site for offices, condominiums and retailers. From the Washington Harbour plaza, replete with al fresco dining (e.g., Bangkok Joe's, Nick's Riverside Grill) the views across the Potomac River take in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Watergate Apartments and Commercial Complex, the Washington Monument, of course, Roosevelt Island, Key Bridge and the Virginia shores.

Washington Harbour has five six-story buildings, through which runs the Thomas Jefferson Promenade, a landscape designed by Joe Brown and Michael Vergason of the landscape architecture firm EDAW, in cooperation with Arthur Cotton Moore Associates.

The 7,600 sq. ft. fountain pool grows to 11,800 sq. ft. to create an ice rink from November through February. It is larger than the ice rink at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The rink debuted in November 2012.

Flooding in April 2011 caused extensive damage to many of the businesses at Washington Harbour, resulting in a $30 million renovation project by real estate firm MRP Realty. Note: Floodgates help protect the site, but were reportedly improperly employed. Now a landmark commercial and leisure destination, Washington Harbour was recently transformed, by an estimated $30 million revitalization project.

The new musical fountain is located in a circular pool along the harbor's lower plaza. The fountain was designed as public entertainment. This contemporary water feature makes use of the latest technology to attract people to the site. During the day the fountain features subdued programmed water shows, which serve to squelch noise for the business tenants. At night, when people populate the restaurants and bars, the water displays dynamic musical fountain shows. Sequenced jets loft water up to 60 feet, and programmed LEDs produce multicolor arrays. An automated musical control system provides an interface with any audio system signal sent to it, including an iPhone or iPad. When the smart controller receives the audio signal, the control panel switches to choreograph mode, dynamically controlling the fountain in real time sequence with the selected music.

Sequenced jets loft water up to 60 feet. An automated musical control system provides an interface for any audio system signal sent to it, including an iPhone or iPad. When the smart controller receives the audio signal, the control panel switches to choreograph mode, dynamically controlling the fountain in real time sequence with the selected music. Lighting adds the most dramatic element of all.

Traditionally, fountains in colder climates such as D.C. are shut down during the winter to prevent them from freezing. However, Crystal's new water feature is a multifaceted fountain design that can be switched off to accommodate special events or even carry through to winter months, explains Rob Mikula, director of special projects at Crystal, the man responsible for the water feature. The 7,600 sq. ft. fountain pool morphs into a 12,000 sq. ft. artificial skating rink between November and March.

Owner: MRP Realty
Design architect: Gensler
General Contractor: Clark Construction
Ice Rink Engineers: Stantec
Specialist Contractor: Southern Aquatics
Water Features Consultant: Crystal