The Basics of Water Fountains
Originally, the word "fountain" referred to a natural spring or source, but the term 'fountains' has come to mean an artificial structure designed to contain and move water, providing people with refreshment, and aesthetic pleasure, or both. The solid sculptural or architectural fountain structure is designed to manipulate and shape the fluidity of water into delicate or grand jets and sprays, or to to channel it into refined or thundering flows and falls, whether into garden fountains or wall water fountains.
Since antiquity, artists and architects have strived to work with and imitate nature. A 15th century architect wrote in a book on architecture: "we consider a building to be a body which, like other bodies, consists of design in a matter of which one is produced by the mind and the other by nature." In fountains, water serves as an additional natural material that the designer can mold and transform into art and ornament. In a letter dated in 1543, the Renaissance humanist Tolomei wrote enthusiastically about the sensual pleasures and the then novel visual marvels of Roman garden fountains: "but what pleases me more in these new fountains is the variety of ways in which they flow, divide, and in turn, lead, break, and at one movement cause water to descend and at another time to rise." He also remarked on "the ingenious skilled newly discovered to make fountains in which mixing art with nature, one can't judge if the fountains are the work of the former or the latter; thus, one appears a natural artifact and another, a man-made interpretation of nature. Does they strive nowadays to assemble a fountain appears to be made by nature, not by accident, but with masterful art." What Tolomei perceived about fountain design is still true today.
A fountain is comprised of two basic components: the source or genesis of the water flow or trajectory; and the receiver, basin, or pool castrating containing the water. Art often mimics nature, and throughout the world, one finds many fountains with human, animal or imaginary grotesque heads, whose mouths service downspouts or faucets. Many fountains transcend their original functional purpose as a drinking fountain to illustrate the concept of a fountain basin as a receiver and container of water.
Two General Categories of Fountains
Fountains can be divided into two categories: those where the statuary of the structure dominates, and those where the water is the primary feature. In fountains for the architectural observer, cultural framework is foremost, the water plays a supporting decor role, animating and enhancing the central structure. The majority of European towns since the Renaissance, and many American ones harking back to the European model, showcase sculpture or architectural mastery. Classic examples include the fountain of Neptune in Florence, and the Trevi fountain in Rome. Other fountain examples include the Piccadilly Circus fountain in London and the Prometheus fountain in New York City's Rockefeller Center. These fountains are admired and understood for their aesthetic qualities. Even without the water running. When floodwater is present, however, the fountains gain added vitality from the constantly changing kinetic motion, sparkling effects and splashing sounds. In other fountains, the aesthetic impact depends chiefly if not exclusively on the rise and fall of water, either as a singular jet or as the sequential choreography of various water movements. Fountains which rely on falling water for dramatic effect, such as the Cascades at Caserta, Chatsworth, or in Portland, Oregon, are far less enthralling when dry. Without the water, there is only a still pool, or an unsightly puddle or dry fountain bed revealing its arrangement of pipes and outlets.
Contemporary vs. Traditional Fountains
Some contemporary fountains are designed for jets recessed into the pavement, or is stepped terraces, so that even without moving water, their artistic substance is not noticeably compromised. In winter, particularly in regions with freezing climates, not water is usually turned off to protect the fountain structure from ice damage. Some traditional fountains hibernate gracefully, reverting to their role as sculptural works of art or architecture. Occasionally, when a cold spell occurs before the water is turned off, magical transformations can accord, as when a dragon appears to be snorting ice in the Fontaine Saint Michael in Paris. Some contemporary fountains, such as the Northland fountain in Kansas City, Missouri, are designed to operate throughout the winter to take advantage of ice affects that create impromptu sculpture. In addition to concerns about water flow and the underlying sculptural or architectural structure, designers must also consider the placement of a fountain on its site. If the fountain is to be viewable and accessible from all sides, then it must be placed in the center of its space, as are many fountains and city plazas and at intersections of garden pathways. Other fountains are placed against a building, creating monumental and theatrical settings, such as the Trevi fountain in Italy. This style of fountain is best viewed from a frontal and central position. Practical drinking water wall fountains are often inset into building walls at street level for the convenience of passing citizens.
Read an article about the Hydraulics of Water Fountains