A Design Intervention Opportunity for an Application of Artful Rainwater Design Within Theme Park Design
Artful Rainwater Design (ARD), an approach to sustainable stormwater management that celebrates rain as a resource, should be a natural fit at theme parks. Like ARD, theme parks use visual spectacle to attract an audience, tell a story, and educate people. To date, however, theme park designs have not incorporated ARD; furthermore, they often do not apply modern sustainable solutions of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) to manage stormwater. Theme parks designers often still view stormwater as a simple nuisance to be managed primarily through grey infrastructure. This is a neglected opportunity in a major industry: ARD and GSI would complement the guest experience while increasing patrons’ curiosity and awareness of sustainable stormwater management.
This study developed effective strategies for bringing ARD and GSI to theme parks to improve their environmental sustainability and public education, based on a case study at the Walt Disney Company’s Magic Kingdom theme park. A research-through-design process was used to produce six unique ARDs. This design process included several phases: site inventory, site selection, conceptual design, schematic design, and design development. Opportunities, constraints, problems, and solutions encountered during the design process were evaluated to compile a list of strategies.
The proposed designs indicate that theme parks can seamlessly integrate ARD into existing themed areas, even where limited space is available to add new features. By following the recommended strategies, the theme park industry can improve the public perception of rainwater to promote an acceptance of modern stormwater interventions within the public space.
Advisers/Committee
