The Harmonic Environments team completed one of our most challenging projects to date when we unveiled 10 custom waterfalls at the new 11,500-square-foot Mandara Spa at Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas in late spring 2007.

For the spa's entry, we helped realize the vision of Interior Designer Lori Rapport and Kerzner International CEO Sol Kerzner by creating two dramatic 30-foot-by-7-foot waterfalls. These Harmonic Cascade® designs feature water flowing from ceiling to floor over custom stainless steel coil towers into an open pool.

"I’ll never forget the moment. It was early evening during the last week of construction and the site was quite busy. I was just around a corner from reception when suddenly I heard contractors yelling. I rushed into reception and burst into applause! The enormous water walls were exactly as planned and absolutely stunning. All the contractors and the subs came into reception and congratulated the Harmonic Environments team," says Rapport.

We designed eight smaller waterfalls made of tempered-glass with powder-coated stainless steel framing and stainless steel basins to repeat the reception area's water motif at various locations throughout the spa.

The waterfalls, enhanced by LED lighting throughout the space, were designed to complement Mandara Spa's European-Asian décor of white marble, sisal inlays, rustic Balinese artifacts and custom aqua acrylics.

"The water walls change as the day passes, reflecting light levels and creating moods in the spa. In the morning, the walls are sparking and bright. In the evening, the walls cast rippling shadows upon adjacent surfaces, appearing quite mystical.

I could not be more pleased with the results of my collaboration with Harmonic Environments. I look forward to challenging the team with future design opportunities, " says Rapport.

SMWM Architecture approached me to do an art-glass feature wall for the new meditation chapel at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. It was great to have the opportunity to collaborate with SMWM on this project and see our idea come to fruition. The 5′ × 10′ wall was installed in January 2006.

I think SMWM and I had a similar vision. They were familiar with my work and already had a pretty good concept for what they wanted. When I was drafting ideas, I wanted to do a piece that respected the users of the space and also extended the architectural intent. The chapel is a small and intimate setting that relies on simple volumes and materials and carefully considered lighting for its effect.

As you might imagine, many emotions come into play when creating a piece for a hospital. I feel that the architect, client, and I all wanted to create a space that evoked serenity, peacefulness, and contemplation.

My approach to glass is to use it in a manner that express its materiality and tactile qualities, while also giving great thought to color, pattern, and light to shape and define a space. The architects already had a basic color palette in mind, so I worked to fine-tune their concept, as well as to enrich it with additional accent colors. In this piece, as in much of my work, I strive to express a basic color note while also incorporating a full diet of color.

The feature also incorporates a waterfall by Harmonic Environments. The water element was part of the architect's original concept around which I designed. It made sense to echo the water theme within the piece itself through the use of color and the rippled, or sawtooth, relief of the art glass.

The main challenge for this project, as for many of the projects I am brought in on, was designing for a space that only existed in the form of architectural drawings. If I'm lucky, I have renderings or models to work with. The challenge is to visualize the space and come up with the appropriate response despite the possibility that the actual built space will be dramatically different from what I imagine.

Close collaboration with the designer or architect is essential to avoiding unpleasant surprises. I ask lots of questions. I ask for drawings, color samples, and material swatches. I try for a thorough understanding of any aesthetic, thematic, or philosophical underpinnings that drive the design of the site, how the space will function, and who will use the space.

Much of my work consists of kiln-formed or fuse/cast glass. Sheets of colored glass are layered in a kiln and brought to temperature (about 1,480°F), at which point they fuse together, making a flat tile. In a second firing, at a somewhat lower temperature, these tiles are slumped in steel molds, which impart the sawtooth relief.

Each tile is individually designed as an element of the larger whole and is numbered with its position in the wall. The technique resembles that used for both collage and mosaic. The completed tiles are shipped to the site, where someone from my studio and/or I mount them onto a tempered glass substrate previously installed by the client's contractor.

Almost all my projects, with the exception of sculptural or free-standing pieces, are architecturally integrated and site-specific. This location was chosen because of its public nature and for the capacity of color and light to offer a contemplative or transcendent experience.

I think it was the right material and the right location for a piece like this. If the work provides a moment of repose or reflection, I will consider it successful. I hope those that visit feel the same.

Senspa Receives Honorable Mention from Chain Store Age

Asian-inspired Senspa (TSAO Design Group, San Francisco) is an oasis of serenity on bustling San Francisco. The historic Structure that houses the spa is contrasted with a comtemporary design, expressed through furniture, finishes and materials. The design provides a freash environment while preserving the inherent character of the building. A waterfall feature on patterned glass panels, cast acrylic panels with bamboo, cyclone fireplace and vibrant upholstery fabrics are among the unique elements and materials in this space.

Harmonic Environments, Inc., a leading designer of indoor water features, has introduced an innovative new waterfall concept called the Harmonic Cascade™.

This water feature uses reflected light to create a luminous effect. It is the newest addition to Harmonic Environments' Translucence Series™ of waterfalls and can be specified as a seamless panel in almost any size and shape.

Harmonic Environments has installed three Harmonic Cascade waterfalls to date, one at River Terrace, a condominium development in Manhattan, The Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, Fla., and another at The Mandara Spa in Atlantic.

Based in Stuart, Fla., the company currently offers water feature designs of every conceivable size and shape for private residences, healthcare institutions, offices, hotels and spas.

Harmonic Environments was founded in 1987 by Steven Wander, who pioneered the concept of high-quality, customized interior waterfalls for commercial and residential use. Twenty years later, the company continues to lead the industry with innovation in engineering, materials and design.

Wander's visionary approach to indoor water feature design and engineering has earned Harmonic Environments a reputation for quality and reliability with architects, interior designers and contractors.

Trade Show Exhibits for Lexus

Harmonic Environments worked against tight and changing deadlines to create two 20-foot-long, 12-foot-high translucent, splash-free panels for the Lexus trade show exhibit at the Detroit Auto Show. The company continues to design innovative water features for many Lexus trade show exhibits.