The Fontana di Trevi in Rome, where water has flowed since 18 BCE, the many baths and fountains of Aix en Provence in southern France, the Fountain of Qasim Pasha of Old Jerusalem built in 1526, and so many more historic fountains are all still in active use today after hundreds, even thousands of years. The United States, young as we are, can still boast of the Franklin Square Fountain, in continuous operation since 1838 in one of William Penn’s original five squares of Philadelphia. Fountains are symbols of power and beauty, often adorned with intricate sculptures and serving as gathering places for social and cultural events.
Beyond their visual and cultural impact, fountains and water features have also been shown to have a positive impact on social, mental, and physical health, and this extends to academic spaces. On university and college campuses, the calming presence of water can create an environment more conducive to studying and learning. Fountains serve as central gathering spots for students, fostering a sense of community and belonging. Because they enhance the campus’s visual appeal, they contribute to a more pleasing environment.
These impacts have not gone unnoticed by students participating in the current groundswell movement for more outdoor gathering spaces, accelerated by the restrictions imposed during the pandemic. When indoor spaces on campus were forced to close, student social activities were forced outdoors, and many campuses were found wanting. Universities and colleges that offered attractive, functional outdoor areas where students could gather were at a great advantage. Those that did not found a new urgency in developing such spaces.
A Move Toward Sustainability
In stark contrast to most older water features, where municipal or artesian water powering the display simply ran off down the drain, modern fountains incorporate sustainable practices. Most fountains and water features now recirculate water, often with highly efficient pumps that minimize energy consumption, like the Aquarius line by Oase, which also offers automatic varying water flow to create dancing fountains at the press of a button.
Fountains and water features can even play a significant role in achieving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, a green building rating systems established by the globally recognized U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED certification is gained by contributing to various sustainability goals, each worth a certain number of points. When added together, the points confer a level of certification, from basic Certified to Silver, Gold and Platinum. Water features can accrue points towards a building’s certification status in several ways. Some utilize storm and greywater sources (recycled water from sinks, showers, etc.) that reduce potable water use, mitigate flooding and recharge aquifers. Capturing and recirculating rainwater and managing stormwater runoff earn points, as does incorporating recycled materials in the construction of water features. Surrounding fountains with native plants that require less water and maintenance and support local wildlife populations can also contribute to LEED credits for sustainable material use.
Environmental and Health Benefits
Fountains and water features serve important environmental functions. In urban environments, fountains help cool the air and increase humidity, providing a refreshing respite from otherwise desiccated ‘heat islands.’ ‘Aerosol scrubbing’ by minute water droplets above and around fountains and waterfalls attracts and removes dust and pollutants from the air, improving air quality.
Fountains encourage people to spend time outdoors, promoting physical activity and social interaction—as anyone who has ever seen children playing in aa splash pad knows. The sound of flowing water also has a calming effect, reducing stress and promoting relaxation. Moving water releases charged ionic particles; these ions are reported to improve mood.
Researchers are working to qualify and quantify the health benefits of blue spaces. The Biophilia hypothesis first put forth in the early 70’s refers to the innate attraction humans have toward plants, animals, and other people, as well as interior and exterior spaces that mimic nature, Exposure to man-made biomimetic environments releases natural opiates in the brain, reducing depressive symptoms, speeding healing, and enhancing cognitive function. As one paper published recently in Frontiers of Psychology notes: ”The profound effects of biophilia demonstrate the importance of intentionally designing these spaces with a strong focus on nature, with strategies like integrating natural elements and processes, large variety of plants for a rich sensory experience and biodiversity, create habitats for wildlife, inclusion of water bodies (emphasis added) that can add aesthetic value while providing calming sounds, generally use natural materials and mimick (sic) natural forms and patterns.”1 Other recent research presents immediately implementable design recommendations for circulation and open areas, outdoor spaces and healing gardens that emphasize biophilic healing.2
Unfortunately, although the health benefits of water features are broadly accepted, research that quantifies the multiple health benefits of artificial water features is still limited. But such studies do exist. In an article in Health Promotion International, Easkey Britton assessed 33 studies on the health benefits of water features and found that ‘blue care’ can benefit health in general and concluded that investment in blue spaces can improve mental health, especially psycho-social well-being.3
And it doesn’t take hard numbers to notice the positive impact these water features have on a campus community. When students and professors gather around a fountain’s edge to talk and take a much-needed break from the demands of academic life, the social, environmental, and even health benefits are easy to see. Students also appreciate knowing these features operate sustainably. These features represent an investment in students’ enjoyment of communal spaces and overall experience of their college years, adding value in unexpected ways that will continue to attract generations of students to come.
A Case Study: High Point University
A case in point is the campus of High Point University. Long recognized as one of the best academic centers of the South, the campus stepped up its campaign of beautification in 2004, spearheaded by the current President Dr. Nido Qubein, who has placed significant emphasis on the development of the gardens, fountains and water features at High Point. From the High Point University Entryway Fountain at the main gate of the university to the David R. Hayworth Park Waterfall at the center of campus to the Qubein Arena Panther Fountain and its two flanking features, students, staff and visitors are never far from water.
The dozens of fountains at HPU have come to be defining features on campus. Practically every open space on campus sports a water feature. The Patriot’s Plaza fountain cascades down four tiers, pouring over broad edges, with three large jets in the top pool and 56 arching sprays along the rest. The Kester Promenade begins and ends at the traditional Henley and Finch circular fountains. The Elizabeth Miller Strickland Scholarship Plaza, intended to inspire future endowment donors, boasts a placid reflecting pool as an invitation to meditate on philanthropy. The massive waterfalls behind Cottrell Hall, built in 2018 to capture and recirculate 3,500 gallons of rainwater in a below-grade reservoir of 80 Atlantic EcoBlox, flow 30,000 gallons an hour along the walkway to the school’s amphitheater.
These water features contribute to some of the university’s many accolades and the broad recognition of its aesthetic appeal on a national level. U.S. News & World Report has ranked HPU the No. 1 Regional College in the South for the last 10 years and No. 1 Most Innovative for seven consecutive years. For 12 consecutive years, HPU has been named a College of Distinction with special recognition for career development, business and education programs. The Princeton Review has placed it in the top five percent Best Colleges of the nation’s 2,400 four-year colleges and universities for seven years running in multiple categories, including Most Beautiful Campus.
- Front Psychol. 2023 Nov 24;14:1201030. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1201030
- Menatalla Ghazaly, Deema Badokhon, Naelah Alyamani, Sarah Alnumani, “Healing Architecture,” Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 10, No. 3A, pp. 108 – 117, 2022. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2022.101314.
- Health Promotion International, Volume 35, Issue 1, February 2020, Pages 1–4, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daz124
