Top Ten Innovative and Mind-Bending Water Features

There is no denying that water features can change the look and feel of any environment, transforming what was once a typical shopping center or hotel into a magical destination.

This week, we’re featuring the world’s most innovative and mind-bending water features. From the amazing choreographed lights of a show fountain to the magnificent sound and energy of a large waterfall, these are not your typical cookie-cutter water features. These magnificent water features rank among the most luxurious and lavish in the world.

1. Wilderness Lodge

Orlando, Florida

The Pacific Northwest is brought to life in Florida at the Wilderness Lodge, a resort hotel inspired by American Northwest National Park lodges from the turn of the 20th century. The Wilderness lodge is equipped with sparkling streams and waterfalls, Yosemite- style mineral color pools and a pool and spa. Outside, guests are blown away by a geyser which that shoots water and live steam 120 feet in the air. The geyser is – fashioned after Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful. Inside, the lodge is designed with an 82-foot-high high fireplace with layers of earth-toned artificial rock that replicates all 128 major supergroups of geology in the Grand Canyon.

 

2. Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Hotel guests are destined for luxury and enchantment at the exotic Sunway Resort. Rockwork features at the swimming pool make it much more than just a place to just swim and sun. An arching rock bridge spans the pool and invites guests to explore the space above and on both sides of the water, while a grotto attracts guests to a hidden vista in the lagoon below.

 

3. City Place

West Palm Beach, Florida

Show fountains have gone wild at CityPlace! This upscale retail entertainment center features extravagant and complex water features at every turn. Themed construction artisans constructed a choreographed show fountain that thrills and entertains shoppers from morning ‘til night with its colorful antics. A seemingly endless number of dancing water shows mix light, color, music, geysers and artificial mist, all choreographed to upbeat music. At the end of each show, every major element of the fountain unites to create a breathtaking crescendo.

 

4. Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Course

Seoul, Korea

A dramatic waterfall creates a striking backdrop for golfers at the two-island 10th hole at this high-concept golf course. The signature hole at this exquisite golf course features a magnificent waterfall over 45 feet high and 90 feet wide joined by a series of eight streams that rumble through the entire course. Mind- blowing water features like this, combined with unique creativity, and the use of natural and artificial materials, beckons golfers to return again and again.

 

5. The Palace of the Lost City at Sun City

Johannesburg, South Africa

Guest’s imaginations are tantalized as everythingEverything becomes larger than life at this fairytale African palace, one of the largest resorts in the world. This one-of-a-kind resort has a unique African rhythm all of its own with over 200,000 square feet of artificial rockwork, 12 formal fountains, spas, a wave pool and numerous other pools throughout the sprawling property.

 

6. Isle of Capri Casino

Biloxi, Mississippi

Guests at the Isle of Capri hotel and casino on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi are washed in color when a two-story rockwork water feature kicks off a colorful show that dances to a jungle rhythm. The rockwork fountain starts at the first-floor grand entry and towers to the second floor. As guests head down the feature’s stone stairs, they often take a second look at the handrail, which is fashioned as a 35-foot python. Some guests can’t even touch it, as if they fear their luck will run out if they do.

 

7. National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI)

Washington, D.C.

With deep respect to the Native American culture and the Indian’s deep connection to the land, themed construction artisans worked in harmony with the natural surroundings when designing and building the rockwork and water features at the museum property. The museum features two water features – an organic wetland area with a pond and a formal architectural fountain that meanders around the museum’s curvilinear building.

The natural looking wetland area represents the original Chesapeake Bay environment prior to European settlement and attracts birds, squirrels and other wildlife.

 

8. Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain

Los Angeles, California

The newly- renovated Arthur J. Will water feature at Grand Park in Downtown Los Angeles is changing the way people think about water features and design. This state-of-the-art interactive fountain has two separate closed-loop water systems. In the upper system, a 50-foot spray of water shoots upward in the original fountain bowl, then flows into the central basin for recirculation. The water then appears to cascade over a six-foot waterfall into the lower membrane pool, which actually uses a separate closed-loop system.

In the lower membrane pool, a quarter inch of water flows thinly across 6,200 square feet of dark granite, then into a narrow drain. The membrane pool features circular patterns of 79 jets that invite people to interact with the spraying water.

 

9.Downtown Anaheim Shopping Center

Anaheim, California

At this amazing shopping center in downtown Anaheim, next to one of Southern California’s most popular theme parks, mind-blowing water features invite busy shoppers to pause, smile and, linger as they contemplate their next purchase or meal. Highly skilled artisans created two show fountains with computer choreographed water displays and lights at the two main entrances of the retail entertainment center.

 

10. National Aviary Penguin Point Exhibit

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

African Penguins swim among artificial rocks in an unbelievably believable habitat at the National Aviary zoological park exhibit. This natural looking exhibit is equipped with a state-of-the-art Life Support System (LSS) that controls everything from the temperature of the water to the water quality needed to make a sustainable environment for these exotic birds. The exhibit acts as a teaching aid for Aquarium patrons as the penguins thrive in their 2,300-square-foot exhibit that replicates their natural habitat.

Whether you’re constructing a golf course, retail entertainment center or theme park, Outside the Lines can add features that will enrich your project. OTL’s water features and rockwork are carefully crafted to enhance the beauty of each project, while their its Life Support Systems (LSS) are built to sustain life in zoo and aquarium habitats.

 

If you would like to work with a team of skilled professionals, please contact Outside the Lines at: (714) 637-4747 or email them at info@otl-inc.com