Oficina Técnica Buigas – Types of fountains
Water Curtain Fountain
Water curtains and water screens are based on vertical water movements that are installed for different purposes in different spaces. They are versatile and require little space for installation.
What is a water curtain?
There are different types depending on the technology used to make them, the desired visual effect and the materials used. Water can fall freely, as in digital water curtains, creating different effects as it falls, or it can flow down a wall, as in waterfalls. Depending on the material and flow rate, the water can fall smoothly and silently, as in glass water curtains, or with different textures, depending on the roughness of the material. To project images, we at OTB recommend water screens for their ease of installation and maintenance.
In these fountains much importance is placed on the precision of the fall, which will allow the clarity or transparency of the water. Therefore, it is the shape of the piece placed at the foot of the curtain that will give the screen one effect or another. At OTB we make water curtains for indoors and outdoors, both fixed and temporary. We design water curtains for events according to the needs and purpose of each project. Below, we explain the different possibilities we offer:
Digital water curtain
The most striking water curtain we offer at OTB is the digital water curtain. It contains detailed control electronics that regulate the water fall along its entire length so that the water creates different shapes as it descends. This allows different names or games to be projected, depending on the option chosen. In addition, it has a lighting system with the possibility of changing colour by zones.
We design the external appearance of the curtain, all the necessary circuitry for the correct functioning of the installation, and programme all the images that will be formed according to the customer’s wishes.
Waterfall curtain
To achieve the sparkling effect that characterises all our waterfall fountains, a large water flow and a turbulent outlet that generates a large amount of falling volume are necessary. The higher the waterfall, the more spectacular the final effect, but also the larger the surface area required to prevent the water from splashing out of the fountain.
However, at OTB, we have been working for more than sixty years to achieve the best fall effect for each situation with the appropriate measures for each project and that is why our customers trust us.
Water wall
When we design fountains where the water flows through a wall, we always take into account the roughness of the wall as this is what will produce the final effect of the water as it falls.
For example, when installing a very rough wall, the water will collide with the different parts of the wall, separating it from the wall and creating a lot of volume. This makes it necessary to have a larger surface area for the collection of water from the water curtain. Furthermore, the wall can be made of glass, to be placed in the centre of a room to give more space and light to the room, or of some other opaque material. In this case we recommend that it be on one of the side walls so that it does not take over the space.
Water sheet
At OTB we pay special attention to the horizontality of the water sheets, both of the water jet and of the ramp where the water will flow, since, if it were to be decanted to one side, this would cause the water to accumulate at one end and would not flow uniformly.
Depending on the flow rate installed, different effects can be achieved with the same fountain. If the flow rate is large, a cascade effect may form along the travelled surface due to the volume of water in motion. If the flow is small, a thin film of shiny water will form around the surface on which it slides.
Water Screen
This type of fountain has a central piece that projects a smooth semicircle of water on which images, videos, words, etc. can be projected. They are frequently installed as a complement in cybernetic fountains to project a part of the show or in shopping centres where advertisements can be projected.
For the installation of the screen, a large water surface is needed to collect the expanded water. Depending on the brightness of the projector to be installed, these screens need more or less darkness to better appreciate the details.
We carry out the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of the type of water curtain that best suits each project according to the environment and the customer’s needs, to make the space unique, different and attractive.
Our water curtain fountain projects
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