Pooling Your Resources:

Landscape Firm Dives Into the World of Water

By Charlene Crowley

	In the Leiken project, rockscape is placed in several areas: from the pool area to the pond area, where it is used to create the rise for the streaming water. According to Steve Pattie, it is the natural rock placement that makes all the difference in a water feature installation.
	A lush environment encompasses the outdoor landscape of the Rao residence. In addition, a fountain with water shooting upwards is one of the majestic sites in the Rao project.
	The building of the 12-foot waterfall, Floralscape, for the Botanical Garden's Spring Show in Cleveland was achieved through a team effort by all involved. Given only fourteen days for its installation, the water feature was a big success.

How do you want your water? Straight up, in a formal fountain? On the rocks, cascading to a pond? With a twist, sliding into a pool? However you want water these days, you can get it! The creation of a water feature for the client can be one of the most challenging and rewarding landscape elements of a master plan. For The Pattie Group Inc. of Novelty, Ohio, water features have become an artistic trademark and an engineering specialty.

The challenge is two-fold. The first is an engineering concern: It better not leak! And in the case of cascading water, the ponds must be designed to hold sufficient water volume to safeguard falling water. Secondly, naturalizing the mechanics and elevation changes with artistic rock and plant placement are critical to aesthetic success. The rewards are countless for the client and the contractor if both of these factors are taken into account.

The Pattie Group's portfolio ranges from small, reflecting ponds to rushing waterfalls, cascading into swimming pools. Steve Pattie, the owner, explains, "The artistry of our field staff in the placement of the natural rock makes the critical difference in our installations." Field manager Jim McCaskey concurs, and adds that "the groundwork" from the knowledgeable design staff, under the direction of Landscape Architect Jim Lesti, is essential to success. "Seeing the potential in a flat expanse of land comes from the creative talent ..... making it a reality and keeping it natural is our job," concludes McCaskey.

Over the years, "trial and error" on the drawing board and in the field has provided a solid base of information to draw on for successful new designs. In 1982, when faced with the installation of a water feature that was central to a major backyard renovation, a turning-point decision had to be made when there were no water feature specialists available. Although the field staff was experienced in natural stone terracing and enhancement placement in the landscape, they possessed little waterfall installation experience. Regardless, the field crews, with support from the design team and management, decided they would become their own specialists, and embarked on the first installation of a water feature.

Working with pump suppliers, pool installers and plumbers, the rudimentary collection of knowledge began. Different methods of lining the ponds and falls were tried over the years. While the choice to use a liner can still be required by a specific site, the use of shotcrete applied to a wire mesh frame became the method of choice, because of its durability in the freeze/thaw zone 5. According to Pattie, "Texturing and coloring the concrete on the bottom of streams and ponds mimic the mud and rock found in natural streams, and therefore, meets our aesthetic standards."

Water is a natural enhancement for the Landscape Master Plan. The sound of water adds a whole new dimension to the landscape.

"Residential projects are the primary focus of our design department," comments Jim Lesti, LA. "Creating a backyard paradise for a client is the ultimate in personal design. Over the last ten years, we have included natural water features at many residential sites." According to Lesti, "Client interest in ponds, fountains and waterfalls has been on the rise for a few years now. We see no diminishing in the number of requests."

In about one-third of the designs, the water feature is suggested by the designer or consulting staff, because it is a natural extension of the master plan. This is true in a design where the grade of the land can be easily manipulated or where a swimming pool is involved, since water features tend to enhance a swimming pool. Very often, this pool enhancement is done by softening the harsh pool edges with the addition of natural rock, and injecting the sound of cascading water, which might not have been available with a static pool.

As The Pattie Group's field expertise grew in this area, larger and more complex projects could be envisioned, drawn and executed. One of The Pattie Group's residential designs is an all-encompassing entertainment area for the Bleile Residence. It includes a swimming pool, entertainment and dining areas, a lanai, a fire pit and a spa. The spa and cascading waterfalls took the high ground. Developed on a nearly-leveled piece of backyard, the spa became part of the rise that produced the falls. A sheet of falling water, created by water rushing over a natural rockscape fixed in concrete, shields the entrance to a grotto that was set into the rise. Entering the grotto requires a thorough drenching.

A natural quarry is the setting for the Ferguson-Barry pool. The home is perched on a partial cliff, remnants of an old bluestone quarry. A shale-like sandstone was found to match the existing site so that a complete horseshoe waterfall could be built into the cliff. The waterfall dramatically drops fourteen feet into a deep curvilinear pool. "The ultimate success of this project was the marcite finish," critiques Bill Fehrenbach, Project Design Consultant. "Without the deep blue-green finish of the pool's concrete surface, the finished project would not have the naturalized impact we were looking for."

Not content with creating only for clients, The Pattie Group installed a twelve-foot, indoors waterfall called Floralscape at the Cleveland Botanical Garden's Spring Show in 1996. The biggest challenge facing the company was the deadline, which was the opening day of the show. Allowed just fourteen days for the completed installation, the team pulled out all the stops and let it rip. As Fehrenbach remarks, "Our experience to that point in time allowed us to work up a time line that was feasible and realistic." McCaskey adds, "The team work from all the departments and with our subcontractors made it a reality."

In 1997, a commercial project marked one of the largest and most intricate designs to date. Approached by the committee from the James Perley & Delores D'Angelo Storer Sensory Garden last year, The Pattie Group was asked to design a water feature located at the Mentor Medical Campus. "Our expertise in the creation of water preceded us, and we won the contract for the design and installation," explains Steve Pattie.

One of the challenges of this site was its location. Squeezed into a 75' x 100' courtyard area, it would be visible from all sides from within the facility. In addition, the entrance to the courtyard was visible from the main drive. The solution was to not favor any one view; consequently, three separate water cascades were designed at differing heights. Disguising the mechanics of the falls was another challenge. Design adjustments and field modifications, coupled with an ambitious planting plan, were required. Installed this spring, the multi-textured and fragrant perennials completed the Sensory Garden. LASN

All photos provided courtesy of The Pattie Group.