Where to start a fountain project - what information needs to be obtained so that the process runs stress-free?
A fountain is a full-fledged technical investment. If the first stages are handled properly, later everything goes smoothly: design and implementation.
Budget – the starting point
We know it is difficult to grasp the scale of such an investment, without much information. Unfortunately, it is necesssary to predict the expected budget range and the maximum range that the contractor is able to spend. Without a budget, it is difficult to talk about technologies, effects or a possible music program.
The budget should take into account the size of the square/basin. After determining the potential amount, further discussion about possibilities and proposals that are truly feasible within the given amounts is possible. A reliable company does not promise everything, but advises what will actually work. In the fountain industry, many solutions look impressive in visualizations, but do not work well in practice, or do not look as impressive within the assumed budget.
Assumptions, inspirations and technological possibilities
This is where the actual concept begins. The investor usually has a vision: a music show / a calm decorative fountain / an interactive fountain for children or a modern water-light-sound fountain.
Questions that we usually ask:
- Should the fountain be dynamic or static?
- Where should it be located and who should it appeal to – is it a fountain for children, or rather an object enhancing the prestige of a given place?
- Is a music program planned?
- What lighting effects are expected, or none at all? We have at our disposal dynamic light changes, single-colour lighting, white lighting dedicated to facilities of, for example, a historical character, subtle colour transitions and basically everything we are able to imagine, having 16 million colours at our disposal.
At this stage, the contractor’s portfolio is of great importance. Beware of catalogue visualizations, ask for real implementations. The portfolio shows what technologies the company has implemented and on what scale it is able to work.
An experienced company will advise:
- what is possible within a given budget,
- which solutions will be durable,
- and which will be effective only on paper.
Matching the technology to the budget and function
Not every fountain needs advanced control, a multimedia system, and some, on the contrary, will even look “poor” due to a small number of nozzles at excessively large distances.
We select:
- the type of nozzles and water effects,
- the control system,
- lighting,
- filtration and water treatment,
- the control cabinet
This is our quick guide from the series Fountain Construction – design. It is worth emphasizing here that we will be happy to help – we’re available by email, both with the selection and the design.
