This poolscape is all about movement. From the deck jets to the fabulous curtain of water, this setting is full of vitality. Bright lights around the landscaping, pool, and spa also add liveliness to the scene. When swimmers use up their energy, the comfort of the covered lounging area beckons—and is easily accessible from the pool. Photograph © Lure Photography
Cutting-Edge Solutions
Dave Penton, founder and owner of Fluid Dynamics Pool & Spa, is not one to rely on the tried and true, and when he saw that his industry needed a boost in how it used energy, he turned to his background in mathematics to develop new methods of designing and constructing swimming pools. Additionally, as a gold member of Genesis 3 Design Group, he continually attends professional seminars and classes to learn how others are handling the problem and to keep up-to-date with the latest techniques and technology. Presently, he is quite interested in “greening” pools and is developing an energy-efficient poolscape that has a reduced carbon footprint. “We recently designed a system that reduced electrical consumption by 80 to 90 percent,” explains Penton. “The other big plus is that the pools work as well as traditional ones—and sometimes even better.”
Starting his business in 1992 as a high-end service and repair company, Penton subsequently became an expert at fixing older pool equipment. Over the years, however, he realized that he had a talent for building pools and spas as well. Today, his firm does it all: Fluid Dynamics develops, constructs, renovates, and maintains watershapes of all sizes and styles. “Whatever your desires may be, we have the staff capable of accomplishing the task,” says Penton.
Penton insists that he and his team—from those who clean the pool to those who put the finishing touches on a showstopper—perform their craft with a single-minded focus on the details. “I only hire trusted subcontractors with whom I have a long-standing relationship,” says Penton. “I want to make sure that a job is done flawlessly, which is more important to me than being a large firm building a lot of mediocre pools.” His strategy works: He recently entered his first awards contest, and took first place for best new residential spa.