As we continue with our commercial water design series, we are excited to present a number of ideas that will serve as inspiration for your future projects. With this being our first installment, I want to touch on the evolution of water as an architectural element.
Water, more than anything else, is a key requirement for life. Early civilizations would inhabit areas near lakes, ponds, streams and rivers. As societies moved farther away from these bodies of water they desired to find alternate water sources or divert water sources to their location. They did this by digging wells or diverting water via aqueducts.
“Water is the driving force in nature.”~Leonardo da Vinci
As civilizations continued to evolve, the value of art and architecture became increasingly important. The evolution of utilizing water as architectural media played a major role in cultural refinement. This continues today, as we pause to consider how water features give both first impressions and lasting impressions. The exciting first glimpse of the ocean, the return to a serene fountain, or the enchanting pattern of dancing water that conjures distant memories, all demonstrate the value water plays in our lives and throughout time.
I like to think that the display of water not only provides a wonderful setting, but the decorative display of a water fountain reaffirms its value in our daily lives.
This Water Design Series is by Greg Stoks, Principal at Commercial Aquatic Engineering. The purpose is to add useful content to CAE social media venues to help readers better understand design considerations when utilizing water as an architectural element. Read more about this Commercial Water Design Series.
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