Modern Design Using Water

In his travels, Marc has spent time in the Far East, where the presence of water is essential in both Chinese and Japanese landscape design. For him the landscape design is not separate from the architecture of the house – they are unified, and inform and play off of one another. The principals of harmony and balance found in yin and yang can also be found in our use of water and fire features.

When water is still and used in a pond or pool, it acts as a mirror, adding dimension to its surroundings. In our Benedict Canyon design (top 3 photos), ponds frame the front entry on either side of the walkway, and water appears to flow into another pond inside the house. Note the modern nod to the Japanese garden bridge crossing the water on stone pads.

For moving water we favor the sheet waterfall, (see the textured stone at our Hopen Place house) where the water flows down in a clean smooth ‘sheet’, before falling to a pool or stone bed below. And waterproof LED lighting can be added for nighttime effects. The sound of moving water also has a primal calming effect on the mind and body, a benefit of biophilic design.

Our Laurel Way house (last photo) is surrounded by a slender blue moat swimming pool, bringing water views up close to many rooms of the house, letting natural light reflect and shadows play throughout the day. Water also cools and humidifies the air, often welcome in the warm, dry Southern California climate.

Water elements brought into a design give those interacting in those spaces another dimension of light, sound, aesthetic beauty, and color, which compliment the architectural design.