Through all the centuries of water shape design, the laws of physics have imposed restrictions on the watershaper's ability to extend a laminar flow of sheeting water beyond a drop of five or six feet. Go much beyond that limit and the sheet breaks up, thus impairing the aesthetic effect, causing an annoying degree of splashing and generating an abundance of undesirable, monotonous noise. Those physical laws have been seriously bent in public spaces in recent times. Indeed, special weirs and nozzles have made it possible to achieve laminar flows of 12 feet or more. Up until now, the solutions employed to achieve these effects have usually been beyond the budget of smaller commercial projects or residential clients - but that's changing We've long been studying the phenomenon of falling water with an eye toward maximizing the surface tension of water and thereby extending the "laminar" effect without breaking the bank. We've had the luxury of working on some high-end projects that enabled us to perform the research and development necessary to do that stretching. By adapting some of the design ideas we used in those commercial applications, we've been able to translate the technology to a scale and price point that makes sense for designers of residential water features. Laminar Water By definition, laminar water is water that appears to be clear and turbulence-free as it flows. This can occur in a variety of ways, from the sheets and ribbons laminar arcs that fascinate observers because they appear to be solid rather than liquid when they are actually wet- and moving very quickly. Because laminar flow appears nearly or completely still, it has a mysteriously tactile quality to it. It's also very calming because the effect is so quiet. In fact, we've found that many people don't believe that laminar water is really water! These are impressions that can best be gained up close, in relatively intimate settings where the minimized noise and splash are most appreciated and where the sheer visual pleasure is most thoroughly enjoyed.