PARABLES OF INSPIRED AQUATIC DESIGN - Counsilman

THE POWER
OF PRINCIPLE
PARABLES OF INSPIRED AQUATIC DESIGN
HOW-TO
This book is about the future.
Actually, it’s about helping you create your preferred
future. When you set out on an aquatic design project,
you’re preparing to build something that will last more
than a few lifetimes.
We want your shot at designing the future to result in
something more than just a legacy. Right now, your
project has many possible futures; we want to help you realize the
vision you prefer.
Principia Aquatica
We consider it a great honor that Counsilman · Hunsaker has been
embraced for our efforts to help build and nurture the aquatic
design industry. More than 40 years of experience — and some
significant challenges — have taught us the principles required to
realize preferred futures.
We’re sharing those principles here in the hopes that they serve
you as both inspiration and guide in the projects that are important
to your future.
WATER BUG
PRINCIPLE: Build with the knowledge that recreation is a perishable commodity.
In just a few short years,
his Mom knew, Saturdays would be
all about friends and girls and football
games. But for now, it was their time.
“Come out Water Bug, let’s get more sunscreen on you,” she called. “No way!” he
laughed, splashing just out of her reach.
What is novel and exciting today becomes
common tomorrow. Creating wonder for
each new child and family is the foundation
for an inspired future.
Innovation happens where there is a
powerful and stable platform. Counsilman
Hunsaker provides you with stability and the
power to innovate so that your project—and
your future—is inspired.
GOLD RUSH
PRINCIPLE: Greatness lives in values, consistently applied.
“Drive, form, power ...
this kid could be a contender,” the coach
thought. Three of his former students were
Olympic medalists. Was this kid number
four? He felt the rush of possibility. “How
was my time, Coach?” the young swimmer
shouted. “Not bad,” he answered. “Can
you beat it for a jellybean?”
Legendary swim coach, James ‘Doc’
Counsilman believed in the power of
consistency and rewarded achievements
with jellybeans. There are over 800 design
decisions that can make a project great.
Each decision is an exercise in good design
values, consistently applied.
At Counsilman Hunsaker, aquatic
engineering lives by Doc Counsilman’s
principles. We believe that world records
aren’t only for the Olympics.
ALMA WATER
PRINCIPLE: You’re not building for now, you’re building for the future.
“This place has really changed
since I was in college,” he said to the
Dean. It wasn’t the only thing that had
grown up; he’d started as an idealistic
kid, now his success was legendary.
“Yes ... thanks to your generosity,”
the Dean said gratefully. The man just
smiled. It was the least he could do.
Defending your project is much easier when
you’ve already got a proven winner. That’s
why your current project is really about
building for the future. Because what you’re
building will last generations. The memories
that will fund tomorrow are built now.
With Counsilman Hunsaker, you have your
very own team of engineering futurists. We
provide the fuel for a powerful defense of the
future you’re trying to build.
WATER GUIDE
PRINCIPLE: Let knowledge guide you confidently to the right decisions.
“But Mom, I can’t!”
The water was too deep. Too cold.
But she really wanted to jump, too.
Her eyes danced nervously around
the image of the shimmering pool
bottom. Finally, her vision lit on her
mother standing calmly in the water,
beckoning. She knew what to do.
There are hundreds of decisions to be made
to realize your vision. Each decision can be
researched, but that takes time. And some
decisions are only visible if you know what
you’re looking for.
Counsilman Hunsaker has been guiding
the aquatic design industry for over 40
years. We give clients the wisdom and
insight they need and, perhaps more
important, the confidence to take action.
AQUA NOVA
PRINCIPLE: Aquatic recreation creates demand for other aquatic experiences.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,”
thought the grad student. He was an
engineering major, a math nerd, with
neither time nor the inclination to go
‘hang out’ at a pool. But the student
recreation center, and the geometry
of its enormous lazy river, proved
fascinating. This was an equation he
hadn’t anticipated.
Just one experience in a well-designed
aquatic center can create a thirst for more,
even for those who never considered it.
Counsilman Hunsaker has been
pioneering and growing the aquatic design
industry for over 40 years. We’ll help you
make the decisions that inspire countless
people to reach for new experiences, and
enjoy every moment when they get there.
LAST DETAIL
PRINCIPLE: The people that operate the facility should play a role in its design.
It was just a case of opening night jitters.
The years of visioning, planning,
fundraising, debates - it had all led to
this. Now, surveying her spectacular
new aquatic center the night before
it opened, the facility manager took
a deep breath. The stage was set;
her team was trained and ready. The
butterflies flew away.
The operations manager is a critical piece
to the design and execution of an aquatic
center. Including the manager from the very
beginning - and then properly educating
his or her facility staff - will set the stage for
increased efficiency and long-term success.
Counsilman Hunsaker understands
the value of an inclusive design and
implementation process. And, we provide
hands-on, participatory training on-site to
prepare for opening day and beyond.
INSPIRED
PRINCIPLE: Aquatic design is the art of the impossibly inspiring.
“You could use a vacation,”
his agent said. So the novelist, jumpy
and fretful about his unwritten pages,
booked a short trip, if only to prove the
agent wrong. But now, calmly staring
at the edge of a pool that edged
the endless ocean, that edged the
endless sky, the writer had an idea.
People are drawn to water. And they draw
inspiration from water. Aquatic design is the
art of bringing that inspiration to the surface.
You only get one shot at creating what can
be an amazing experience. To do that you
need a process that is inspired.
Counsilman Hunsaker has been
pioneering and growing the aquatic design
industry for over 40 years. We’ve done it so
you don’t have to. We’ll help you make the
decisions that create inspiration.
JUST FUN
PRINCIPLE: Aquatic design isn’t just about aquatic design; it’s about people.
“What should we do first?”
asked dad. He looked down at the
8-year-old twins, their eyes as big
as saucers. The new water park
had only been open for two days
and for the last 48 hours he’d heard
nothing but begging. Now, facing
their greatest adventure, they were
stunned speechless.
Your first step into a well-designed
aquatic facility should feel like an
unscripted adventure. It will if the design
is perfectly executed to meet the needs
of every swimmer - from mom and
toddler to competitive swimmer - and
everyone in between.
At Counsilman Hunsaker, user
experience is a fundamental principle
of every single design - and it’s your
competitive advantage of working with a
recognized leader.
BLAST OFF
PRINCIPLE: Aquatic recreation makes life worth living.
“Hey Grandma, did the blast get you?”
He’d been down the slide 1001
times, at least. Each time varying his
position to try and make a bigger and
better splash. Grandma clapped and
cheered happily from her dry deck
chair at the edge of the pool. “Almost
got me that time,” she shouted, “blast
off again!”
Building an aquatic center is not just about
making a short-term splash. It’s about longterm enjoyment for the whole community.
However, it can be difficult to quantify the
value of this experience in the face of its
hard costs.
Counsilman Hunsaker understands
community budget pressures. We can help
you assess the tangible and intangible
value of an aquatic center, and provide you
with the research and support you need to
make your case.
HAUTE WATER
PRINCIPLE: Design with a view toward what is coming next.
‘Cool’ was subjective, the architect knew.
But he understood what his hotelier
client was asking for: make people
talk, make my hotel an experience,
make us the ‘it’ destination. A tall
order, maybe. But with the right vision?
Completely achievable. “We’ll make
you cool,” the architect promised.
“And also, hot.”
It is said that generals are always fighting
the last war. It takes practice and dedication
to learn to think forward. That effort has a
significant payoff. Because if you’re not
thinking forward, you’re building the past.
At Counsilman Hunsaker, we’ve been
thinking forward for 40 years. We provide
the platform that allows you to imagine the
impossible and see it happen.
WATER FLIGHT
PRINCIPLE: There is true, lasting value in aquatic sport.
She’d started on the low dive,
like everybody else. But over the
years, with training, practice and
more practice, she’d gradually moved
up. Higher and higher she was able
to climb, until she learned how to
gracefully take flight from what felt like
the top of the world.
For as long as people have been getting
into the water, we have been making a sport
of it. The history of aquatic sport is rich with
tradition and glory. To honor and respect
that tradition is the highest aspiration in
designing a competition venue.
Counsilman Hunsaker is the premiere
designer of aquatic sport facilities. We are
priviledged to carry on the legacy of our
founder and legendary swim coach, James
‘Doc’ Counsilman. Every competition pool
we build is invested with that heritage.
HOME H2O
PRINCIPLE: A well-designed facility improves the value of the community.
15 years ago, the pool was just a ‘pool.’
Back then, she and her husband were
lifeguards, spending endless summers
supervising that big cement rectangle.
Now that they’d moved back home
to raise their own family, she couldn’t
believe the improvements. Felt just like
home ... only better.
Your aquatic center should be more than
the local pool; it should be a source of
pride and value to the community. Each
community has its own flavor and culture.
By building on that culture, your aquatic
center will enhance the lives of people in the
community, and attract new residents.
At Counsilman Hunsaker, we see your
aquatic center as a representation of the
vitality of your community. We will use our
40+ years of experience to help you realize
your community’s dreams.
THE POWER OF PRINCIPLE
PARABLES OF INSPIRED AQUATIC DESIGN
At Counsilman Hunsaker, we live these principles and
we’re happy to share our knowledge with you. To learn
more, contact us at 314-894-1245 or connect with us on
twitter @chh2o or Facebook
http://facebook.com/counsilmanhunsaker