Disneyland Development

The Disneyland charrette is coming along pretty well, we have some really exciting forms and ideas that came together in a pretty harmonious way. Ill tell you this much: two paths lead to a central explosion of activity, one dedicated to music...one to light.

Now here's some renderings for your enjoyment!

Disneyland "The Hook"

Recently we were notified our design needs to consider a "hook" for the disneyland redevelopment project, basically its a point of focus or "money shot" that sells the whole project, basically the element that, if void, would rid the project of its soul. The backbone, the barrell that the entire thing revolves around. Ok you get it. So basically our concept idea is a collage or mosaic of cultural experiences, not like epcot center or small world where there are isolated moments of dedicated experience, rather a blending of the elements from various cultures morphed chopped up and reasembled to the point that they are boiled down to thier essence. The way these cultural experiences unfold are through the way various cultures deal with and contribute to light and music. We found common themes that crossed various cultures, like colored glass, patterned screens walls and fabric planes of enclosures for shading. So basically one entrance form deals with light and kinetics while the opposing side deals with music and at the center plaze they combine in a creschendo or light, music and water with a polar grid of water jets that provide a wat finding focus and hopefully a "hook".

here's what i made so far for our rendition of the "hook"

Disneyland Charrette

So as if i didnt get enough school as it is, i signed up for an application based spring break studio charrette run by Disneyland's Imagineers!

So basically there were 8 design majors chosen from each of the four design majors on campus to make 4 8-person teams made up of architects, urban planners, landscape architects and graphic designers.

The design problem we're facing is the transitional circulation space in between the two parks located in anaheim: Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure (DCA). Nothing brings the entire area together, no vision, no holistic goal or theme that serves the extremely unique actions and uses that occur. A simple example was watching people in the main plaza (jokingly reffered to as red square, but acutally called the "esplanade") sit on the floor in the dead of the heat since theres absolutly no seating anywhere.

Our group has some ideas concerning the design and ill try to scan and upload our concept phase soon. The final review is next thursday so this is a really crazy fast charrette thats gonna require some heavy all nighters. Stay tuned but i dont think ill find much time to upload simultaneously. One of the professors involed is Ray Kampf and he suggested us to look into Designing Disney for inspiration, it was an interesting starting point looking into how Disney design's spaces.