Water gardens in particular give us the illusion that we are controlling the elements. Through the incorporation of water features, one adds sound, movement and reflected light to the sensory palette of the space.
This garden was installed as part of a Healing Garden for Gilda's Club, an organization dedicated to helping individuals, and their families, living with cancer. In the foreground is a traditional bamboo deer chaser. As water passes through the bamboo spout, it is collected into another piece of bamboo that rythmically empties, producing a consistent clicking sound as the hollow bamboo taps against a small stone boulder. 
Designed to aid those in cancer treatment on their healing journey, this garden was specifically created and designed with the senses in mind. Plants were selected not only for their visual appearance but also for their fragrance and how they feel…the soft needles from a weeping larch or the petals of flowers. Even sound should be considered in this type of garden such as when an ornamental grass rustles in a light breeze or the soothing sound of running water. All these elements help to allow the visitor connect to nature and maybe for at least that moment, feel a little better. 
A wide stone was selected to spans the stream bed and serves to make the garden more accessible to those with limited mobility. Because the garden is in a an open public space, rules for water safety were adhered to, and the water in the stream is quite shallow. However, by using black Asian stone in the streambed, the illusion of depth is successfully created.
AguaFina worked directly with the founder of Budco Corporation with the goal to create something special at the heart of the company's main operation center. In terms of design, the intent was to have the space appear as though the office building had been constructed around the garden.
The centerpiece of the project was the koi pond and streambed. The sound of gently splashing water over stone helped to create a unique natural environment inside this workspace. A garden setting was formed by incorporating natural elements from outside into this central meeting space.
The koi themselves were much beloved, including one who was even nominated for employee of the month!
A large waterfall was not possible as there was no grade change, however by installing a ridged basalt stone fountain, it was still possible to have the movement and sound of falling water.
The water cascading over the caved ridges of the stone fountain replicates the tranquil sound of rain falling or of a gentle waterfall.
AguaFina was retained for this project after the building had already been built and recently occupied. To give the illusion that the building had been built around the space, a large section of the floor that had just been installed was removed, large boulders brought in, and then the floors re-installed around the garden and koi pond.
It is difficult to get a sense of scale from this photograph, but this Asian influenced koi pond is quite large. The boulders framing it are each several tons in weight.
Mature plants and specimen conifers help to naturalize the garden and give it an ancient, even timeless, feel.
An antique limestone basin is used as part of this water feature, filling with water and gently cascading into the streambed that meanders to a pond nestled into the landscape.
This photo was actually taken in the garden we built directly behind our design studio…we just thought it was so cool to see our “co-workers” schooling around a stone set in the middle of the pond.
This pond is part of a woodland garden that includes various paths and areas to interact with the pond. In the foreground is a large stone that is naturally flat on top and is purposely set protruding from the ponds' edge in order to get closer to the fish and/or sit down and dangle your feet into the water.
We take great pride in going to great lengths in creating water features that appear as natural as possible. Essential is the careful selection of stones and using a ride range of size and shapes that are both in scale to the space and with each other. In this photo, the waterfall stone was chosen due to the natural cleft in the rock which provided the opportunity for a double tiered waterfall. 
The pond was sculpted into an area of existing mature plant material including many specimen conifers. We were very careful in developing the space and working around these existing plants, creating a space that appeared to have naturally occurred with a pond that seemed to have always been part of this landscape.
We are always fortunate when a site has an existing natural grade change that allows us to create a dramatic waterfall. In this project we incorporated a rather long and winding streambed with several small brook type falls and a final veil type waterfall cascading into a small “upper” pond which then empties into a larger pond (not shown) through a series of further waterfalls. 
Large promontory stones serve as natural bridge over this gentle moving stream. 
Stones are set in the middle of the pond with the tops of the stones slightly above water level connecting the pathways in this garden.
