Archinect - News

Disney previews major theme park expansions in Florida and California

2024-08-13T13:04:00-04:00

Disney’s magical footprint is about to expand through a new strategic initiative at its long-established Orlando and Anaheim theme parks.

The company’s largest-ever expansion of Walt Disney World in Florida is reportedly worth $17 billion and will unfold over a period of 15 years to cover 17,000 acres. The Orlando project will deliver Disney’s first-ever suspended roller coaster design and, among other attractions, a new section dedicated to villains.

Rendering courtesy of Walt Disney Co.

Back in California, Disneyland’s Avengers Campus will double in size, while the popular Avatar franchise will get its own dedicated destination nearby. It is unclear whether this is part of the $1.9 billion DisneylandForward expansion project announced in March.

Rendering courtesy of Walt Disney Co.

Disney Experiences Chairman D’Amato said, “Work is well underway on all of the new projects we announced, and fans will start to see them come to life in the near future.”

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Former Walt Disney Imagineering head Bob Weis joins Gensler

2023-01-13T13:06:00-05:00

The former President of Walt Disney Imagineering Bob Weis is joining Gensler as a Global Immersive Experience Design Leader, according to a statement released by the firm. Before the move, Weis spent more than 30 years at Disney.

Having joined Walt Disney Imagineering in 1980, Weis became president of the studio in 2016. He led more than 200 major projects in his time at the studio, encompassing theme parks, attractions, resorts, and cruise ships in the U.S., Shanghai, Tokyo, and Paris. He has also consulted with Disney clients such as the Smithsonian, National Geographic, NASA, and the United States Navy.

“At Disney, we often collaborated with Gensler, and I was able to see firsthand its culture of design innovation that transforms the quality of life in our world,” said Bob Weis as the news was announced. “This is what visionary companies are seeking, a...

Disney unveils updated plans for second 1,300-unit affordable housing development in Orlando

2022-11-17T12:03:00-05:00

The Walt Disney Company has announced detailed plans and a developer for its new 1,300-unit affordable housing development outside of Orlando.

The company says its latest housing project says will support the local Orange County Housing for All plan that will deliver 86,100 units of affordable housing to the growing community before the end of the decade.

The development will be led by the Michaels Organization and be made available to Disney and employees and members of the general public whose income qualifies within a certain range. In a press release, Michaels CEO John J. O’Donnell said: “Our goal is to create a repeatable model that we hope will inspire other companies and municipalities to create high quality, attainable housing in their own communities.”

Previously on Archinect: Disney plans to build 1,300 units of affordable housing in Orlando

Disney has been investing in the housing market and community planning with other developments planned for Orlando and Soouthern Cali...

Disney plans to build 1,300 units of affordable housing in Orlando

2022-04-07T17:00:00-04:00

Now, more than 50 years later, a more urban part of Disney’s utopian idealism is taking shape. The company is announcing a new project to augment its vast theme park and resort development with 1,300 units of affordable housing, set on 80 acres of land right next to Disney World.

The Walt Disney Company is hoping to work with an unnamed third-party affordable housing developer to build the project. The units will be available to income-qualifying candidates from the general public and Disney employees. This initiative comes as Orlando-area rents are increasing, with the number of residents paying more than a third of their income on rent among the highest in the country. As noted by Fast Company, a 2019 National Low Income Housing Coalition report named Orlando the worst city in the country for affordable housing.

Previously on Archinect: 'Storytelling to storyliving': Disney unveils designs for a new master-planned community in the Coachella Valley

This is just one of several planned developments Disney has recently slated. Last year, the entertainment company announced plans to build a regional Orlando campus called Lake Nona for relocated employees from California. And, earlier this year, they unveiled designs for a master-planned community in the Coachel...

Disney is building a new regional campus in Orlando, relocating 2,000 employees from California

2021-07-20T09:21:00-04:00

The Walt Disney Co. said Thursday it planned to build a new regional campus in central Florida to house at least 2,000 professional employees who will be relocating from Southern California to work in digital technology, finance and product development.

Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, Josh D’Armaro, in a letter to employees, said the move would allow creative and business teams to be better integrated. The new campus will be located about 20 miles to the east of Disney World in a master-planned community called Lake Nona.

“Florida is known for its rich culture of hospitality and active lifestyle as well as a lower cost of living with no state income tax,” said D’Amaro in the employee letter.

It is set to be built over the next 18 months. Its exact location, size, and architect have yet to be announced.

How Walt Disney World plans to run on clean energy

2019-02-08T18:06:00-05:00

...Climate change is bad for business. But as I’ve seen firsthand, companies that invest in clean energy, engage customers in sustainability efforts and leverage their influence to drive smart policies can turn a downside risk into tangible cost-savings, customer retention and global leadership.

Many of Walt Disney's original plans for Disney World, in Orlando, Florida, were scrapped shortly after his death in 1966. Disney envisioned EPCOT (short for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), for instance, as a hotbed for scientific research and a model for energy and material conservation. While EPCOT in its current form produces its own food and some of its own energy, it is a far cry from Disney's original vision.

Walt Disney announcing his plan for the Florida Project, which includes EPCOT. 1965.

But more than fifty years later, a series of changes are making serious headway at the worldwide destination. Angie Renner, an Environmental Integration Director at Walt Disney World Resort, spoke with Jake Hiller of the Environmental Defense Fund about the theme park's initiatives. "Today," Renner stated, "we are striving towards three main environmental goals: divert 60 percent of our waste from landfills by 2020, reduce net emissions 50 percent (from 2012 levels) by 2020,...

Kansas City's iconic Willis Wood Theater to be reproduced in Walt Disney World

2017-07-21T21:01:00-04:00

The company announced that a new live entertainment venue off the Magic Kingdom’s Main Street will be modeled after KC’s iconic, bygone Willis Wood Theatre. The original theater opened in 1902 at 11th and Baltimore streets and stretched for a block and a half. It was a cultural hub for the city before it burned down in January 1917.

Featuring large Ionic columns and Baroque embellishments, the Willis Wood Theater, was designed by Louis Curtiss, Canadian-born American architect noted as one of KC's most prominent architects. It is speculated that Walt Disney frequented the theater when he was living in KC. “It is consistent with the tradition with the Disney theme parks; he incorporated his life into every aspect of the parks,” said Dan Viets, who co-wrote Walt Disney’s Missouri with Star movie critic Robert W. Butler.

Fascinating photos of Disney's Magic Kingdom under construction

2016-10-07T14:11:00-04:00

After her grandparents passed away, Kelly Wise Valdes found a treasure trove of candid pictures taken by her grandfather, Chester "Chet" Wise, a master craftsman and woodworker who worked on the construction of the Magic Kingdom in Florida. [...] Thousands of construction workers were there during the Magic Kingdom construction. Disney kept a small handful of these master craftsmen and made them full-time Disney employees, and my grandfather was one of the chosen few.

Click here to find more photos. All images via cnn.com, courtesy of Kelly Wise Valdes.