One of WET�s most high-profile projects is the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, which was completed in 1998.

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Mark Fuller, co-founder and president of WET, believes his firm is responsible for defining the state of the modern fountain. A fountain constructed today uses water as the primary sculptural form, not water running over a marble sculpture, and it could allow the water to form patterns, incorporate fire, interact with people, morph through differing textures and be vibrantly illuminated.

Most likely, a new fountain will not be a simple structure with a water spout. A modern water feature, Fuller says, involves kinetics, acoustics, choreography and interaction, and forms a focus within its surrounding landscape.

“We can design musical fountains with sophisticated underwater robots and make water behave in ways people can’t imagine,” he says. “We have made amazing advances in creative uses of these technologies, and as a result, you rarely see a public or private project today that doesn’t have some sort of fountain.”

Based in Sun Valley, Calif., WET is the result of Fuller’s undergraduate work at the University of Utah. For his senior thesis, Fuller worked with two fellow students and used the concept of fluid mechanics to build a fountain that had a coherent arc of rapidly flowing water molecules, which made it seem motionless, almost laser-like; the company now refers to this as the Laminar Stream. In recognition of this project, Fuller and his colleagues received an award from the American Institute of Architects.

He continued to work with water during his graduate work at Stanford, and then began to work with the Walt Disney Co.’s theme park division, where he and a team created the LeapFrog feature at EPCOT Center – in a park area based on fountains.

He says combining water, design, and technology in imaginative forms led to other projects, and eventually he and some associates left Disney to form WET in 1983. “I’ve always loved water since I was a kid, so my interest in this area stems from my DNA,” Fuller laughs.

One of WET’s most high-profile projects is the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, which was completed in 1998. In the summer of 1995, Steve Wynn, chairman of Mirage Resorts, invited WET to participate in the design and development of the Bellagio resort. Wynn’s vision included a grand fountain in front of the hotel that would attract and entertain passersby.

Fuller explains Wynn wanted something that was commanding in scale, have music as a focal aspect, would embody the spirit of romance and would be forever associated with the resort. Wynn’s goal was for this to become the most ambitious water feature ever imagined.

WET’s objective when designing this feature, Fuller says, was to mesmerize viewers with an instrument capable of producing, when choreographed, as much fluidity, variation and range of expression as possible. The company wanted the feature to effectively play to the varying musical styles in the world’s library of great music.

Fuller explains WET designed and manufactured a collection of technological devices specifically for the Bellagio. The company’s Shooter technology allowed the fountain to integrate with the rhythmically driving passages in the music; MiniShooters and SuperShooters – driven to record-setting heights of more than 240 feet – were used to respond to the different aspects of the music. Fuller says the pulsing character of the Shooters created the feature’s spirals, linear passages and high-speed chases.

WET created its Oarsman nozzle to bend and weave through any position in an upward expressed cone. The feature also used fog (enough to blanket the nine-acre lake) and illumination to ensure its magical appearance. Wynn and WET chose white incandescent light for the fountain to create a simple, strong purity.

Overall this fountain uses more than 2.5 million watts of light, created by more than 4,000 individually controlled light fixtures.

“While the Bellagio Fountains is unique, many of the technological building blocks we first used in the Bellagio project we are still using and evolving for current projects,” Fuller says. “Also, we continue to work with Mirage Resorts. Right now we are redoing the volcano in front of the Mirage resort in Las Vegas.”

New Technology
WET just finished work on the Americana at Brand fountain in Glendale, Calif. This feature is choreographed to a variety of songs, such as “The Prayer,” sung by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli; the suite from “Polar Express”; “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones; and “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” performed by Dean Martin.

The Americana has more than 130 jets inside the fountain’s 80-foot-diameter pool. In the center of the second pool is a gold-leafed statue selected to honor WWII veterans who fought at Normandy. Designed by WET, this is a replica of Donald De Lue’s 1949 “Spirit of  American Youth” statue in France.

“This project used brand-new underwater devices, such as nozzles that have wrists, so they create fans of flowing water-fabric.” Fuller says. “We used some of our newest technology here. People clap after every performance – it is great to see people get emotional  from our work.”

WET will never create the same design twice, Fuller says, although it will use similar technology components on different projects. The main goal for a WET feature is to draw tons of people, thrill them, and have them want to return, he explains, but it is also essential for a fountain to be 100 percent reliable the first time it performs and every time thereafter.

The company developed its WET Care program to provide ongoing maintenance services and ensure reliable and cost-effective operation of its water features worldwide. These services range from cleanings and adjustments to preparation of annual operating budgets and system reviews.

Fuller notes WET continuously looks for new ways to serve its customers, as well as new technology and designs to develop to ensure all of its features are state-of-the-art.

“We cross-pollinate our different talents and commingle all of the intellects here, so we are always coming up with new things,” he says. “Our designers and engineers work closely to make designs drawn on paper a reality. We always want to push the boundaries of how to make fountains more enjoyable and successful to people, so we will continue to innovate with our designs, our technologies and our execution.”