Fountain Planter Final Report 2: How

1 month ago

Post 12- 2025 : Main Project Final Report Part 2

Introduction

For my main project, I decided to construct a planter and fountain combo in the industrial aesthetic. I used PVC and plaster to convey this aesthetic in the fountain and planter parts respectively. The overall assembly sits at about two feet by one foot in footprint, with a height of about a foot. This was important as one of my specifications for this project was to ensure it was portable. The fountain is powered by an aquarium pump, which connects to an outlet. While I had initially hoped to use a solar powered fountain kit, I found that their sizes were to large for the basin I had purchased. I made this project as a conversation piece for my apartment, acting as a dynamic piece to add character to my room. I decided upon an industrial aesthetic over a naturalistic one as I felt it would differentiate my design from other pre-existing fountains, and would give me more freedom to explore different visions. While I am not in love with my final product, I think it could show some great promise if revised in the future. However, I am still pleased with the functionality and aesthetic of the artifact, it is just the durability and longevity that I am disappointed with. I will discuss further how I made this project come to fruition, with some consideration on future steps and limitations I faced further on in this post.

Timeline

For my design process I first began by acquiring my structural materials. This included the pump for the fountain, the basin to hold the water/plants, plaster, and paint. For my design I went to McGuckins and purchased a window box planter. I chose this as the structure for my artifact as it was both small enough to be portable, and could double as the basin and planter. The box planter came with a shelf that allowed me to use the under part as the water basin to feed the fountain, while leaving the top to hold the other components that displayed the aesthetic. I chose a Sicce Micra Plus pump for use in aquariums to power the fountain. This pump is submersible and small, allowing for it to be hidden in the basin. Additionally, it also had an adjustable flow rate which allowed for a dynamic aspect in the fountain’s function. This purchasing process took me around 3 days, as it took me a while to decide upon these components. Next, I put together the basic assembly, and experimented with the layouts. This took just a day, but was important to make sure I had enough room for my components and it informed me on how to proceed with fabrication. I then spent around another 3 days assembling and tweaking the fountain to make sure it performed as desired. I then plastered the whole artifact, which took an hour for each layer. I had to do this process over multiple times to find the desired mixing ratio for the plaster to ensure adhesivity and an aesthetically pleasing look. Finally, over one day I painted the structure, then over another day added the finishing touches such as stones and the flowers. While each individual step did not take very long, I had to work in this order and balance it with other commitments, extending the actual time spent on this project.

Fabrication Process

The fountain aspect of this project was purchased off of Petco, so I didn’t require much fabrication apart from assembly. I also purchased the basin portion of the artifact, so no addition fabrication was required there. However, to join these two components I began by experimenting with the water pump on its own. I had to acquire clear tubing in the correct sizing to fit into the water pump, then I began testing flow rates at different heights. After this testing, I decided upon the correct height to have the water exit the fountain. I then cut the clear tubing down to size, and began looking at different PVC components to house it. After landing upon a desirable design, I bonded the PVC pipes together with glue. Then I measured the distance the water would travel before hitting the ground. This informed me the distance apart that the holes for my assembly would have to be. Using a handheld drill I cut out the holes for the plant, fountain exit, and fountain return. Next, I affixed the PVC to the basin and tested the apparatus to ensure continuity. After this was checked, I mixed the plaster in different ratios and applied it to different sides of the basin. After drying I decided upon the mixing ratio based upon both appearances and strength. This allowed me to plaster the entirety of my design, afterwards I could paint said plaster. I used Rust-Oleum rock spray paint to add texture and give it the industrial look. Finally, I placed the flowers and other rocks to add more character to my artifact.

Image of plastering process. Different parts of water and Plaster of Paris mixed to find the best ratio. I ended up choosing a ratio with a bit more water as it made it less brittle when dried.

The fountain assembly, which was the first part I completed as it required holes to be measured and drilled in. Here you can also see the PVC housing I decided to construct around the fountain spout.

Plaster applied to the basin before any sanding or painting. Acts as a good surface to apply paint to, both giving it some extra texture and making the paint color pop.

Design after plaster had fallen off of the sides, as of this time I have replastered the design and have to repaint it.

Conclusions

As I have discussed before, my project evolved through the whole of this project. This evolution began in my initial ideation stage, when researching alternative aesthetics. I had first planned on a more traditional design, hoping to mimic a stream bed in the Rocky Mountains. However, after exploring these opposite aesthetics I had an idea for how this design would look in the industrial aesthetic which grabbed my interest much more. While this was the basis for the final product, some aspects changed over the fabrication process. When working with the plaster, I had purchased a mesh net in the hopes I could get the stippled pattern seen on sidewalks. However, the mesh would stick to the plaster and ended up looking wrong. I then switched to using a textured spray paint to add some depth to the plaster. Another aspect of this project that changed was the switch from metal air ducts to PVC for covering the fountain portion. I chose to switch this as I both couldn’t find and air duct small enough that still looked like an air duct, and I felt that the PVC felt more in tune with the rest of the aesthetic of the design. The final change from my initial plans was the plant selection. I had originally planned to have either native Colorado flowers, or plants that liked to be bottom watered. However, I felt that instead using a weed like dandelion would fit the image of a plant growing through the cracks much better, feeling more authentic.

If I could go back and start this project again, I think I would choose to not emphasize the portability as much. This decision really constrained my designs, and if I had not worried as much about this I believe my final product could emulate the industrial aesthetic much better. I could have added more PVC piping, plants, and other small details. Another change I would make is looking at material alternatives to plaster. While plaster is cheap and easy to work with, which is what drew me to it, it also has many limitations. I believed the plaster would be more paste like, allowing me to sculpt it, but it was much more runny instead. The plaster also had trouble bonding to the plastic shell, though I would maybe choose a different housing in the future as well. When the piece is knocked, the plaster has the habit to crack and fall off, which set me back multiple times on this project. The plastic housing was too flexible to allow the plaster to be very durable, and could not be painted directly with the textured spray paint I used. Finally, I think I would like to pursue the more traditional natural style design I had first formulated, as I think it would be a great way of bringing the mountains into my room, rather than and industrial district.