Adjacent to the historic Farmers Market, The Grove at Farmers Market is a new development by Caruso Affiliated Holdings, and is modeled after a grand old downtown with architectural facades inspired by the art deco era of Los Angeles. The open-air complex features meandering walkways, ample shopping, and broad plazas and courtyards.

Public spaces are an important component of The Grove, and the focal point of the Grove’s central park is a water expression developed by WET. Visible from vantage points throughout the Grove’s park-like setting, vertical water elements are located within the central pond. The water feature’s kinetics range from delicate and tranquil to whimsical and exuberant. Upon receiving the commission for this project, WET’s first endeavor was to develop an understanding of the spirit and nature of The Grove. This included an understanding of the client’s program and the surrounding community and culture, as well as physical characteristics of the site such as scale, weather conditions and terrain.

The water feature at The Grove celebrates the inherent, kinetic quality of water through complex choreographies of water events. For this, water animation programs were first created on VirtualWET™, a 3-D particle model simulation tool that calculates and displays the positions of the water forms as the designer explores visual options for movements. The programs were then fine tuned and completed by WET’s project designer on-site. The fountain adds pleasure to the activities of daily shoppers and strollers while creating lasting memories for out of town visitors to The Grove.