The Outlets at Orange Fountain: Precision Installation

When Simon Property Group renamed Orange County’s premier outlet shopping destination back in 2011, it was the opening volley in several upgrades to the open-air center to ensure it would remain at the top of its market amid ever-increasing competition. Following an initial expansion in 2013, a second larger expansion was completed in 2016, which brought in a Bloomingdale’s Outlet along with several other well-known retailers.

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As the design teams at Architects Orange and Ridge Landscape Architects worked with Simon and Bloomingdales to plan the space, it was decided that a signature water feature would be a fitting amenity and add cachet to the expansion, enhancing the shopping experience.
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OTL was brought into the project by general contractor Moorfield Construction to build the new fountain, which required a great deal of exacting craftsmanship to ensure proper function.

The fountain is a raised elliptical reflecting pool, only an inch deep, with a continuous infinity edge allowing water to coat the entire form, which is clad in black granite. To meet the project’s budget and time constraints, the granite was sourced and prefabricated in China and installed on the project to tolerances within 1/16” over the entire 91’ length of the perimeter weir. The water feature is a true ellipse, not a segmented shape; all perimeter stone panels are curved pieces, each with a different compound radius to create the ellipse.

Precision during the installation of the stone was key; while the fountain’s 7.5HP pump outputs an impressive 545 gallons per minute, when this is spread across the 91’ weir length, the depth of water flowing over the edge is a little less than 1/8”. Variation in stone setting, either too high or too low, would cause dry spots on the vertical cladding or, worse, areas of heavy flow that could splash and lead to flooding across the courtyard.

Within the water feature is a planting pit and specimen palm tree. The fountain’s water delivery system and planting pit edge were also very carefully engineered and installed to ensure that chlorinated water wouldn’t seep into the planter’s soil, thereby endangering the palm.

Our crew was meticulous during the installation process and their attention to detail has paid off. Two years after the fountain’s completion, it still looks as good as it did the day we started it up. There are no dry spots or splash – other than the splashing caused by fascinated kids that can’t help but run their hands along the smooth weir as they pass by! Fountains like these greatly enhance spaces and keep customers coming back to our projects again and again. OTL’s dedication to craftsmanship and precision ensure that our customers come back to us again and again, too.