Water Sells Turning Water into Money by Michelle d'Hulst When a water feature is added to a landscape, the moving water instantly becomes the focal point. It provides an exciting new dimension to the project and increases sensory stimulation on numerous levels. The innovative projects that follow are a testimony to the popularity and versatility of custom water features designed for residential and commercial applications. Grand Lakes Location: Houston, TX Client: Trendmaker Homes LA: Clark Condon Associates There are two things that the city of Houston is not necessarily acclaimed for-natural bodies of water and topography. During the construction phase of the Grand Lakes residential community, the client wanted to augment the entrance with a water feature that offered visibility from the nearby freeway. From this vision, Clark Condon Associates suggested a 30-foot tall and 150-foot long water fountain that would epitomize the lifestyle of the premier community. According to Trendmaker Homes, currently 430 homes are developed on 400 acres and when the project is complete, Grand Lakes will consist of 3,200 homes built on 1,250 acres. Water in the form of lakes is a prominent element throughout the development and is accented by the entrance fountain. When the project is complete, there will be approximately 100 acres of lakes. The fountain, which is situated in a 5-acre lake, consists of circular stone rings that are centered on a tall geyser that can be seen from and is in scale with a nearby highway. The vertical fountain is powered by a 25-hp pump. Water is then pumped into the upper pool via a 20-hp pump before the 75 foot waterfall cascades down to the lower terrace. Once the water is in the middle ring, two additional 20-hp pumps were necessary to push the water into the final terrace before it cascades into the lake. A curved trellis that provides a dramatic backdrop to the geyser echoes the circular form of the upper basin. At night, the rings of light around the terraces, the bright light of the geyser and the lighting of the trellis complement each other wonderfully. The water feature has become the defining element of the project that the developer promotes in all of their billboard and newspaper advertisements. Harry Beckwith, P.E., principal of Waterscape Consultants, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, explained that the Grand Lakes water feature presented several engineering challenges. Since the upper fountain pool was 80-feet in diameter with a very shallow water depth, several discharge points were required to prevent stagnation. The fact that the fountain water was pumped from a natural lake rather than a sterile water source complicated the circulation issue. To solve this problem, a complete underwater aeration system in an adjacent lake provides high quality water for the entry water feature. The Long Beach Aquarium Location: Long Beach, CA Client: The City of Long Beach LA: Fong, Hart, Schneider The City of Long Beach made a decision to revitalize the Queensway Bay and make the area more tourist friendly. Included in the redevelopment was a new aquarium and the city wanted a dynamic water feature to highlight this attraction. The landscape architecture firm of Fong, Hart, Schneider based in Newport Beach, California visualized a wave schematic for the fountain. "We wanted to bring the noise of the ocean to the project," Terry Hart, RLA, explained. The fountain creates an auditory element for the space and the action attracts adults and kids alike-except the kids usually get close enough to get wet. Fong, Hart, Schneider worked closely with Bob Evans, ASLA and Mike Webb of The Fountain People, based in San Marcos, Texas to create this symbolic fountain. Nearly every fountain is unique but this fountain included many firsts that required special attention. To create the wave wall, they made replicas in their studio to experiment with nozzle pressure and slope angles. Based on their research, ninety-five custom designed flat-stream nozzles were manufactured for the project. The nozzles perform two primary functions for the fountain. First, each nozzle produces a foamy boil at the base of the granite-curved wall which represents the foam that is created after a wave crashes on shore. At specific intervals, pressure is added to the nozzles so that water will blow through the boil and curve up the granite wall to create a wave. Due to the circular orientation of the equipment room, three curved manifolds were custom designed. Each manifold is 10 inches in diameter and 40 feet long. In order to drain and recirculate the fountain water, the curved wall is resting atop a 10-foot deep trench that is separated from the equipment room by a concrete wall. Once the water has drained into the trench, it is recirculated to the pumps via holes in the concrete wall. This was a clever application by the Landscape Architects that allows all the attention to focus on the water effect. To magnify the kinetic energy of the water feature, the wave height and special effects are controlled by a computer program. There is something special about water features that attract children, and this fountain is no exception. This was not originally an intended application of the fountain, but children are drawn to water no matter what the setting. To keep kids from climbing on the water feature and to keep skateboarders away, the City will install a 4-foot high stainless steel fence around the fountain. Hart said he believes this will affect the ambiance of the interactive water feature, but he concedes that it is necessary to limit injury to children and minimize potential liability. Del Webb Sun City Location: Huntley, Illinois Client: Del Webb LA: Hitchcock Design Group Del Webb, a homebuilder since 1928 specializing in planned developments for adults 55 and over, strives to create the most relaxing and tranquil environment possible for its residents. While developing the housing community in Huntley, Illinois, Del Webb and Hitchcock Design Group called upon Cost of Wisconsin to incorporate several dynamic water features throughout the property. The owner decided to utilize natural stone to construct a series of soothing waterfalls as an inviting entryway. Located directly off of route 47, the water feature was designed to attract potential homeowners and set the development apart as a premier residential community. In addition to the entry water feature, the grounds are covered with several shotcrete-lined ponds that flow gently into a meadering stream. All of the streams and ponds are surrounded by actual stones to create the look of a water feature that only nature could create. Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay Location: Naples, Florida LA: Bradshaw, Gill & Associates Landscape Architects have long recognized the benefit of utilizing the sound and movement of water in upscale retail centers. The Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay in Naples, Florida is no exception. Landscape Architects, Bradshaw, Gill & Associates of Lauderdale-by-the-sea, hired Rockscapes International to create a rock lagoon with cascading waterfalls. The tropical oasis provides a peaceful environment for visitors to shop and relax at the 45 shops and restaurants. The nine waterfalls, powered by two 25 horsepower Wesco pumps, tumble over Alabama ledge rock down to the lake below. Round, smooth egg-rocks are visible at the bottom of each water basin due to the clarity of the water. Bob Morris, President of Rockscapes International, explained that the water is chlorinated to keep it clear but visitors would never know because they can't smell it. The waterfalls provide adequate aeration for the water feature. Water in Motion First impressions are everything. This saying is definitely not lost on the design of this residential water feature. The two spray rings that surround the dancing figures is set on a sequencer program to produce different water effects. In the evening, the water is illuminated with submersible 250 watt, Quartz lamps with various lens colors, which also sequence with the rings during the evening hours. With the movement of the water and the colored light, the statue gives the illusion of movement and fluidity. The pool is a multi-leveled structure with a secondary water feature fed from the water volume that is discharged from the rings and a secondary dump line. This means that the waterfall portion of the fountain is able to operate when the concentric rings are turned off. All of the fountain equipment for this project was manufactured by Roman Fountains, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.