I have recently been called for an interview for a major themepark / resort company (architectural concept) and have started contemplating whether I should go on and try to explore this realm. I have been doing architectural work all of my career and would want to familiarize myself with the process. Living in Central Fl (Orlando, duh) also makes this move a bit feasible.
Has anyone done this? and if so, are there resources out there that could get me started? Thanks.
If you don't have to relocate for the job, I don't see the downside in exploring theme park work. It seems like you would do some pretty interesting and unusual stuff. It's certainly a niche kind of thing, but a niche that suits your interests can become a place of discovery and achievement for you.
I've done some theme park planning in conjunction with the large project mixed-use work I specialize in. It's fun. I would do more of it if I could. But it's also very specialized.
I haven't done it, but I know someone I graduated with became a Disney "Imagineer". I could see that spinning off into a variety of things like theatre stage design, zoo and museum exhibits, etc.
A similar branch: architect I lease office space to does museum exhibit and wayfinding... looks interesting, but he complains non-stop since it's so specialized, it is hard to find the right craftsmen in a governmental "bid" world to handle theatrical... so the quality and hand holding seem to be his normal gritch; he spends a ton of time traveling (cool when you are young, pita when you have a family).
That's what I'm in, well sorta. I do ride layouts and integrate thrill rides into buildings. I do a bit of travel, and some of the locations are pretty cool (previously visited Macau and Moscow).
I'm frequently in Orlando as well. Theme park architecture isn't that high brow and I sometimes crave an intellectual conversation about real architecture, but this is fun and is constantly changing.
I worked in the Theme Park industry as an architectural designer for over 6-7 years, let me offer my thoughts:
Pros:
-You will meet some extremely cool people, if you want to. The best engineers, audio-visual guys, fine artists, 3d guys, writers, you name it. Most of them are not as hung up as we architects tend to get (yeah i know), and I am still friends with many.
- Usually better paid than straight up architecture, as it is a specialized discipline.
- Lots of exposure on the latest structural techniques, materials, and technology in general. For example, Disney was using BIM much earlier than Revit became common in archtiectural practices.
- You will meet many other "connected" professionals from developers, other architects, engineers etc. and they tend to band with each other in the long run.
Cons:
- Architects are usually the lowest rung of the ladder when it comes to any creative input. The role of the archtiect is to just "make it work" - "it" being the Art director's "vision"
- The thematic stuff can get tiring. Especially the endless variations of theming that we dont see value in.
- Theme park work is like the movies, in that firms tend to hire en masse when a big project is on, then layoff en masse keeping a very small core team. The normal cycle of a lot of projects is 6-8 months, and then the layoffs begin. But usually they hire only on contract and pay much better than architecture.
Plz PM me for any specifics if you need, and Good Luck! Its definitely a fun gig.
Feb 21, 17 10:57 pm ·
·
cipyboy
Looks like you're enjoying your time. A bit concerned on the longevity of being in this type of specialization based on what you mentioned. Thanks
Mar 8, 17 3:43 pm ·
·
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has anyone tried or shifted to Themepark Architecture?
I have recently been called for an interview for a major themepark / resort company (architectural concept) and have started contemplating whether I should go on and try to explore this realm. I have been doing architectural work all of my career and would want to familiarize myself with the process. Living in Central Fl (Orlando, duh) also makes this move a bit feasible.
Has anyone done this? and if so, are there resources out there that could get me started? Thanks.
I would recommend TEA (Themed Entertainment Association). Their SATE event focuses on storytelling architecture and technology to create experiences.
Bjarke Ingalls and Eric Owen Moss do most of their work within this area
If you don't have to relocate for the job, I don't see the downside in exploring theme park work. It seems like you would do some pretty interesting and unusual stuff. It's certainly a niche kind of thing, but a niche that suits your interests can become a place of discovery and achievement for you.
I've done some theme park planning in conjunction with the large project mixed-use work I specialize in. It's fun. I would do more of it if I could. But it's also very specialized.
I haven't done it, but I know someone I graduated with became a Disney "Imagineer". I could see that spinning off into a variety of things like theatre stage design, zoo and museum exhibits, etc.
A similar branch: architect I lease office space to does museum exhibit and wayfinding... looks interesting, but he complains non-stop since it's so specialized, it is hard to find the right craftsmen in a governmental "bid" world to handle theatrical... so the quality and hand holding seem to be his normal gritch; he spends a ton of time traveling (cool when you are young, pita when you have a family).
That's what I'm in, well sorta. I do ride layouts and integrate thrill rides into buildings. I do a bit of travel, and some of the locations are pretty cool (previously visited Macau and Moscow).
I'm frequently in Orlando as well. Theme park architecture isn't that high brow and I sometimes crave an intellectual conversation about real architecture, but this is fun and is constantly changing.
I worked in the Theme Park industry as an architectural designer for over 6-7 years, let me offer my thoughts:
Pros:
-You will meet some extremely cool people, if you want to. The best engineers, audio-visual guys, fine artists, 3d guys, writers, you name it. Most of them are not as hung up as we architects tend to get (yeah i know), and I am still friends with many.
- Usually better paid than straight up architecture, as it is a specialized discipline.
- Lots of exposure on the latest structural techniques, materials, and technology in general. For example, Disney was using BIM much earlier than Revit became common in archtiectural practices.
- You will meet many other "connected" professionals from developers, other architects, engineers etc. and they tend to band with each other in the long run.
Cons:
- Architects are usually the lowest rung of the ladder when it comes to any creative input. The role of the archtiect is to just "make it work" - "it" being the Art director's "vision"
- The thematic stuff can get tiring. Especially the endless variations of theming that we dont see value in.
- Theme park work is like the movies, in that firms tend to hire en masse when a big project is on, then layoff en masse keeping a very small core team. The normal cycle of a lot of projects is 6-8 months, and then the layoffs begin. But usually they hire only on contract and pay much better than architecture.
Plz PM me for any specifics if you need, and Good Luck! Its definitely a fun gig.
Looks like you're enjoying your time. A bit concerned on the longevity of being in this type of specialization based on what you mentioned. Thanks
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