The Dissemination of Fountain Design Knowledge
The Dissemination of Fountain Design Knowledge
Spreading useful hydraulic facts and fountain design ideas throughout Europe was accomplished with the written papers and illustrated publications of the time. An internationally renowned innovator in hydraulics in the late 1500's was a French water fountain engineer, whose name has been lost to history. His know-how in making landscapes and grottoes with incorporated and ingenious water features began in Italy and with mandates in Brussels, London and Germany. In France, near the end of his life, he penned “The Principle of Moving Forces”, a book that turned into the essential text on hydraulic technology and engineering. The book modified key hydraulic breakthroughs since classical antiquity as well as describing modern day hydraulic technologies. The water screw, a technical way to move water, and developed by Archimedes, was showcased in the book. Sunlight heating up water in two containers hidden in a room next to an ornamental water feature was presented in one illustration. Activating the water fountain is heated liquid which expands and ascends to seal up the pipes. Concepts for pumps, water wheels, water attributes and garden ponds are also covered in the publication.
The Genesis Of Fountains
The Genesis Of Fountains The incredible construction of a fountain allows it to provide clean water or shoot water high into air for dramatic effect and it can also serve as an excellent design feature to complement your home.From the beginning, outdoor fountains were soley there to serve as functional elements. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to provide them with drinking water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains operated using gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a supply of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Designers thought of fountains as amazing additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to provide clean water and celebrate the artist responsible for building it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times utilized by Romans to decorate their fountains. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller versions of the gardens of paradise. To show his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles.
The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the spot where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
The end of the nineteenth century saw the increase in usage of indoor plumbing to provide drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity allowed fountains to bring recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
Contemporary fountains are used to adorn public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.