A Template For Art: Five Essential Varieties of Water Features
Choosing the right style of architectural water feature for a property is no easy task. Contextual and aesthetic considerations, along with extraneous factors such as wind speed, safety, and brightness, offer a whole host of design possibilities that can create as much indecision as inspiration.
Vincent Helton & Associates is intimately familiar with this dilemma. Over the past several decades, our team has worked with hundreds of developers, architects, and property owners to design water features that best suit their needs. When picking the ideal feature, the sheer variety of design options may seem overwhelming. Fortunately, the majority of our installations share basic principles that allow them to be broken down into basic categories. If you are in the initial stages of planning out a water feature, this guide is a great place to start:
Water Sculptures / Spouts
One of the most recognizable and historically relevant varieties of water features are simply referred to as spouts. These designs are often paired with sculpted shapes including gargoyles, animals, and figurines. Most spouts are installed with basins or reservoirs. While a solitary spout can promote feelings of calm and peace, increasing their numbers generally creates a more turbulent or grandiose atmosphere.
Watercourse feature at Guildford Town Centre in Surrey, BC
Watercourses
These conspicuous stepped installations are typically inspired by nature, and many are subtly integrated into the landscape around them. From a designer’s perspective, the width and depth of the different sections can dictate the overall theme of the final product. Following this logic, the features are designed so that wider areas are shallower and narrow sections have deeper edges. This ensures that the water flows in a linear fashion throughout the entire structure.
Developers who are looking to accentuate a ‘green space’ such as a courtyard or field may want to consider this type of design. Watercourses also suit urban environments, and are stylistically perfect when paired alongside staircases, as with our feature at Guildford Town Centre.
Waterfalls / Cascading Features
Waterfall installations can act as the perfect compliment to high traffic areas. Many are created to emanate white noise, and may also help purify the air around them. The width and height of the waterfall dictates the density of the water film as it spills over. This physical attribute leads to an abundance of design variations.
Cascading and Jet water features at Escala in Burnaby
Water Jets
A mainstay of interactive features and water displays, water fountains consist of either singular or multiple columns powered by jets. These installations are visually powerful, and can be synchronized with lights and timed sequences to create extravagant displays. Developers who consider acquiring water fountains on this scale should be mindful of the high energy costs and large basin size generally required for regular operation. On a positive note, when properly constructed and maintained, this style of feature is an attention-grabber that will attract and enthrall passersby.
Reflecting Pools
While water walls provide a contemporary alternative to waterfalls, reflecting pools are re-imaginings of the customary pond. Reflecting pools are an important part of many of our water features, including Vancouver’s own Olympic Cauldron. They typically use dark shades to boost water’s reflective qualities and highlight the surrounding environment. These projects encourage internal reflection while providing their audience with a renewed perspective of the world around them.
Reflecting pool feature at Vancouver’s Olympic Cauldron
These elementary water feature varieties are a simple starting point when deciding upon the concept of a water feature project. From here, they can be elaborated on, combined, and taken into unique and innovative directions. As the saying goes, ‘Creativity is contagious’ -- and the reality of our trade is that there exists a near infinite array of potential designs.