Phillip Johnson and engineer John Burgee designed the Water Gardens fountain near the Fort Worth convention center. It was completed in 1974. The landscape descends into three oasis pools and a knoll that blocks a noisy highway. The water falls 38 feet down a terraced concrete steps. Vegetation is carefully planted within the post-modernist concrete. Mist sprayers pop up in 43 places to cool people off from the hot Texas sun and meditate.
Water channels to the pools in angular flows. Walkways likewise wind in narrow straight lines toward the gathering pools. The same hierarchy thus unites visitors, construction material, and natural plantings. Lines of Cyprus trees surround the geometrically shaped pools in the same way as concrete, and the cityscape beyond. There is a close relationship between human construction, natural plantings, and social gathering, resulting in a fascinating place that recall ancient ruins.
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(QuesterMark– flickr/creative commons license)
