Envisioned as an urban gathering plaza within the heart of Los Angeles, the Watercourt at California Plaza is a synthesis of multiple water elements. WET collaborated with Arthur Erickson Architectural Corporation to develop a flexible arena for a variety of functions. At times accompanying a live performance, and at others as an event of its own, water transforms from a role of support to one of central elation and celebration.

To achieve multiple effects of tumbling and falling water, WET engaged the inherent sculpture in the walls, stage and amphitheater of the site.

At its most robust, a massive wave crashes forth from the rear, and cascades over the stage and amphitheater steps into a pool below, all the while engulfing all of the sculptural elements of the site. WET incorporated an array of pulsing jets that are choreographed in a range of sequences to perform on the main stage. When there are other performances, a curtain of continuously flowing jets acts as a back drop for performers on the main stage.

In the evening, illumination saturates the vertical water activity, providing the plaza with the quality of a festival and a celebration.

At the entrance to California Plaza the Spiral Fountain, a shallow, convex, conical form, rises from the plaza surface. From the center of the form emit columns of pulsing water that range in height from one to sixty feet. Each jet is individually controlled, resulting in nearly endless, spiraling choreographies.

The Spiral Fountain punctuates the entrance to the site with a whimsical and playful gesture of welcome.