There’s something magical about strutting past the gushing spouts of the fountain — when it's working — on Main Mall in the hustle and bustle of a sun-kissed afternoon. A certain rhythm can be felt, giving life to this daily ritual. And that’s exactly how it’s supposed to feel — it was engineered that way.
The fountain activates for 10 minutes in between classes, hurling an increasing volume of water with each passing minute until finally, it stops. The water cuts out and a quick look at your reflection in the still water reveals a horrifyingly tardy monster looking back. You’re late. Class has begun.
In the original blueprints for the Piper Fountain, the growing water spouts were referred to as the “Mad Dash” and were intended to reflect the “rush of activity in between classes.”
“The centre ring of jets is set at a higher elevation to serve as a focal point on the Mall without all of the arcs effectively blocking the view down the Mall,” said campus landscape Architect Dean Gregory.
The original plans also contain references to barometers, person counters and motions detectors that would allow the fountain to activate situationally depending on how many students were walking by. Sadly, theses technologies were never incorporated in the final design. There is, however, a misting effect that activates in the evening. This feature has proved to dampen more people than charm them.
Beyond all its beauty, the fountain is a creature fighting to survive. While it’s amusing to see the fountain turned into a bubble bath or rainbow puddle, the introduction of soaps and dyes is extremely damaging to the fountain’s health.
“The pumps and filters are not designed to manage the suds and they must be removed in order to avoid permanent damage to the mechanical infrastructure,” said Gregory. “The costs to clean the pool are manifold including considerable staff time to drain the fountain, clean it and refill it.”
Students last year are also sure to remember the months spent retiling the fountain’s surface after countless students walked in the water.
The daily water displays of the Piper Fountain are undeniably great, and the only way to preserve this UBC landmark is to resist the urge to go for that midday swim.
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