I just found a great AEC online course that outlines the use of integral admixtures for waterproofing concrete instead of using membranes. We have been advocating the use of this type of product for the last 10 years or so and this course offers some great information on the use of these types of products including their sustainability and affects on LEEDs ratings.
Check it out at: http://www.aecdaily.com/en/1651851?tabidx=2
There is very little information available about the design of fountain nozzles and most of the data and engineering has been done on the design of fire fighting jets and nozzles with the intent of determining the most efficient method of delivering the most amount of water to a target (the fire). The primary papers dealing with nozzle shape are the following:
Experimental Investigation of Fire Monitors and Nozzles by Hunter Rouse, J.W. Howe and D.E. Metzler 1951
Report of Development Tests on a High Capacity Fire Fighting System: Factors affecting Trajectories of Large Water Jets by Worthington-Simpson Ltd., and Knowsley Engineering Ltd in association with BSRA Technical Services and the University of Manchester.
Nozzle Design for Coherent Water Jet production by MK Jackson and TW Davies
Investigations of a High Performance Water Nozzle by EG Arato, DA Crow and DS Miller. British Hydromechanics Research Association.
This last report is actually the basis of the design of the Captian Cook Fountain in Canberra, Australia
Here is a paper that I found on the web with some excellent reference material:
http://www.gardening-uk.com/waterlands/fountains/index.html
Finding information on fountains is difficult as there is not a central location to learn about fountain design or the combination of architecture and water. Some books have great resources but you have to find them first. Check out our resourse page for some titles.
I am often asked about fountains operating in the winter, and there are instances of fountains designed to do just that. The biggest issue is considering the weight of the ice and making the pool design such that water will be able to circulate.
Here is a link to the Butler Ice Fountain. I use an image of this fountain in presentations showing the ability to have a fountain operate in the winter.
http://www.buffalostate.edu/library/archives/butler.html
I ran across this great web site for images of historic swimming pools. A great resource for images of the way things were.
http://www.ppoa.org/historical_pools.htm
I came across an interesting web site for Isamic star patterns that can be utilized with paving and other detail designs. Here it is:
http://www.cgl.uwaterloo.ca/~csk/projects/starpatterns/
For islamic garden design and great images that show fountains here are some of our favorite books:
Gardens of Persia - Penelope Hobhouse
Gardens of Delight - Christa von Hantlemann, Dieter Zoern
Paradise Gardens - Arnaud Maurieres, Eris Ossant
The Art of the Islamic Garden - Emma Clark
Earthly Paradise - Jonas Lehrman
The last one is out of print but I consider it to be one of the best as it has many historical references.
Got an email about fire and water together. There are many ways to do this but there are a couple of things to consider. In a private setting there are not as many concerns with putting the two together. The most simple application is to have a gas line run to the fire element and have the owner open the gas line like a bar-b-que and throw a match in.
In more sofisticated systems and in commercial applications, someone would throw a switch and the flame would come on. For this setup you would need an electronic ignition system and a flame prover. The flame prover heat up when there is flame and keeps the circuit to the gas valve closed. If the flame goes out, the circuit opens and the gas valve closes.
In some applications, the gas is discharged below the water and the flame is on the water's surface. This method is much more complicated as the gas affects the water chemistry.
For applications and ideas, go to www.automatedfireandwater.com
Every so often I get a question about combining fire and water effects. The most common question is about bubbling gas off of water and having the flame burn at the water level. The problem with this setup is that the gas line has to be under the water and the ignition system has to be above the water. Most fire effects require an electronic ignition system that has to stay dry and a flame proving method to make sure that the fire is burning and not just allowing gas to escape. Both of these devices need to stay dry so you will end up with a piece of hardware above the water anyway.
Another problem with emitting gas into the water is the affect that the gas has on the water chemistry. The gas will affect the pH of the water and will have to be monitored in order to keep a body of water in balance.
Ideally, the best bet is to keep the fire and water separate, although you can keep them in close proximity with the right design.
Every so often we get a call for information on fountain restoration. We have been involved in a number of restorations over the years and the work usually includes renovation of the fountain equipment which sometimes can be difficult without completely re-building the fountain itself. The restoration of the finishes and sculptural elements are part of the work ususally carried out by contractors or architects experienced in historical elements.
I found this article on a recent fountain restoration:
http://www.traditional-building.com/3-fount.htm
In addition, a great resource for restoration and preservation work can be found at:
http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/hptp.nsf
A complete restoration is being carried out now in Denver at City Park. The fountain was originally build in 1909 and was called Darlingtons Electric Fountain. One of the equipment spaces was a vault that was built in the middle of the lake that frequently flooded. The original fountain was driven by a pump on shore and had a series of pnuematically actuated valves and light fixtures that had colored glass plates stacked that could be moved over the light source to change the color of the light. There were some 1100 nozzles mounted on the parapet of the vault. A web site showing the work is at:
http://electricfountain.home.att.net/index.html
I will post some more info on this project showing some of the original setup.
There is a lot happening in LED water illumination. This web site was well hidden but this company produces waterfall elements plus the led and also sells the led modules for lighting nozzles seperately.
www.nexxuslighting.com/applications/pool_spa_waterfall/waterfalls.html
Check it out. Also watch our resource page for much more info next month in June.
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