Here are a few articles, awards and other publications we have been involved with.
 | Masters of Design July 2005 Article A study in geometry, this Arizona aquascape is a private portal to the desert vista beyond. "...As you walk through the home’s front door, you face a huge glass wall that overlooks the patio. “If you look through the glass, over the pool, you can see the golf course,” Ferraro says. “We were able to build something that added length and extended the courtyard into the natural landscape.” View Full Article |
 | 2003 Gold Star of Excellence Design Award Winner |
 | Masters of Design 2006 “I like the simplicity. You’ve got all rectangles — the windows, the framing of the windows, the spa, the steps. Even the little stacks on the sides of the chimney are rectangular." — Mike Ferraro, President View Article by Shabnam Mogharabi |
 | Masters of Design 2006 “I like the flow of the pool, its simplicity. It finishes the house and looks like an extension of the architecture. The water color matches the ocean perfectly. My eye gets drawn to the water and out to the ocean." “This is a long pool. It took some feat to build it, to form the negative edge and spa, how it comes around and is suspended 8 feet out of the ground. The pool also is close to the house. They put in a grate for drainage, so when water runs off the roof of the house, it doesn’t go into the pool. It takes a lot to pull those details off and still have everything tie in so well.” — Mike Ferraro, President |
 | Masters of Design 2006 “I love this project. I scored it mostly on the precision it took to pull it off. Everything is on the mark. From some angles, you don’t see the spa. You see some kind of a circle that could be any type of waterfeature." “The spa’s zero edge was a big feat. And this particular vanishing edge just looks like it carries right on into the lake.” — Mike Ferraro, President |
 | Masters of Design 2006 “There is some incredible stone and boulder work here. You’ve got that immense, precise negative edge on the back of the spa that frames the view of the golf course. The wall on the face of that spa has a nice dry stack. They used big, masculine pieces of stone on the steps going up to the spa. It all looks natural and indigenous — the grass, the stone, the materials." “It almost reminds me of being up in a castle tower, looking down on the lands. You’ve got the tranquility of the waterfalls. It’s a natural setting that fits well with the landscape around it. It looks secluded and peaceful, but also inviting. It comes together to create a romantic environment. And what more is there than romance?” — Mike Ferraro, President |
 | Masters of Design 2006 “I like the symmetry of the rectangles — the waterfeature in the back and then the rectangular fireplace to the right. It’s balanced. " “They did a great job with the waterfeature. Everything’s linear and then it has the wave going through to break things up. If you look at the scuppers with the lights shining out of them, it’s almost like there’s a fire coming out of them.” — Mike Ferraro, President |
 | Masters of Design 2006 “The pool mirrors this home. It looks like it was designed as part of the house. It’s an extension of the architecture and environment. If you look at the color of the home with the deck and the water vs. the glass tile on the weir wall, it’s all similar and continuous." “I like the curvature of this project. The radius has to be precise. Any time you’re working with a radius, making the tile on your negative edge level intensifies the difficulty of the project. All of the windows in the house look across the pool and through it to the mountains. It’s a wonderful job.” — Mike Ferraro, President |
 | Masters of Design 2006 “I like the simplicity of this project. It’s got crisp, clean lines that mimic the lines of the house. It’s mostly about the integration of shapes. It’s a front-entry project, which is unusual. And that entry waterfeature is beautiful: It looks like that pot is almost floating." “The most amazing feature is the spa with that dramatic negative edge. I like the use of glass tile and that they built in a deep well where you can stand up. The negative edge is cut into the pool, so you can’t see it. At night, when everything is rolling, your eye is drawn to the lights and colors of the spa and away to the city views, not to the negative-edge perimeter. That’s the way it should be done.” — Mike Ferraro, President View Article by Shabnam Mogharabi |
 | Masters of Design 2006 “I think the pool flows nicely with the house. Plus, it looks inviting. I like the table and umbrella. I love the stone columns that are built down into the pool and tie into the house. It’s challenging to build them out of the ground like that.” — Mike Ferraro, President View Article by Shabnam Mogharabi |
 | Elements of the Earth by David M. Brown of Green Living Arizona Water photography by Dino Tonn Annually since 1985, Mike Ferraro’s Scottsdale-based Phoenician Pool and Spa has installed and rebuilt about 50 to 60 custom-designed residential and commercial pools and spas throughout Arizona. He also specializes in all glass-tile installations and large glass windows above or below surface. Ferraro explains that a variety of new energy-efficient pumps and cleaning systems, such as the Pentair variable speed pumps, are available as well as solar systems. “They’re quiet and save up to 90 percent on energy use,” Ferraro said. “Most traditional pumps are energy hogs and the use of energy-efficient pumps can save you hundreds of dollars or more in costs over their lifetimes.” Solar pool heating uses the existing pool pump, Ferraro explained. Pool water moves through valves to the exterior solar collectors, rising to the top. Through the panels, the sun heats the water, which then returns to the pool. This cycle repeats until the desired pool temperature is reached. Saltwater is another recent sustainable pool innovation, Ferraro said. Also a Pentair product, the IntelliChlor® generator electrolytically converts ordinary table salt, sodium chloride, to pure chlorine, the standard pool sanitizer. The salt recycles, reducing the need to continually replenish it, and the generator also self-cleans. “You never have to transport heavy chlorine compounds again, and your children will never have stinging eyes again,” Ferraro said. “And, because fewer resources are used in its production, the product is also environmentally responsible.” |