Creating Atlantis The Palm

Having already brought the Atlantis myth to life once in The Bahamas, Sol Kerzner decided to repeat the trick in Dubai. Commercial Outdoor Design finds out the project went from concept to reality.

Opening this month, Atlantis, The Palm is the latest hotel resort to take Dubai by storm.

Situated on the crescent of the manmade Palm Jumeirah Island surrounded by the sea of the Arabian Gulf, the 46-hectare site is nothing short of spectacular.

In developing Atlantis, The Palm, Kerzner International Holdings has once again recreated the myth of Atlantis, the legendary island that sank into the ocean - the original being the Atlantis, Paradise Island located in The Bahamas.

Like its sister resort, the Palm location boasts an extensive waterscape. The resort's star attraction is Aquaventure, which covering 17 hectares, will be the largest water park in the region, according to the company. By comparison, Wild Wadi, Dubai's most famous water park to date, measures 4.9 hectares.

Open to the public as well as guests at the resort, Aquaventure will revolutionise the concept of water parks, declared Sol Kerzner, executive chairman at Kerzner, as the project was announced. "It is simply not enough for us to deliver new water rides. Our goal is to redefine the concept of a water park," he said.

How Kerzner planned to achieve this was by pushing the boundaries of water park design.

The park, designed by Texas, US-based firm Henry Schooley & Associates (HSA) which also designed the original Aquaventure park in The Bahamas, includes a number of new attractions including a shark-filled lagoon that visitors are submerged into, as well as a 2.3 kilometre action river featuring rapids, wave surges and water falls.

The objective, says Peter Doyle, senior vice president, marine and water park for Atlantis, The Palm, was "to create a water park that is both a resort amenity and that operates successfully as a standalone attraction."

One of the challenges of achieving this objective at the masterplanning stage was respecting both the public and private usage that would be conferred on the location. "The challenge was dealing with the architecture and arranging site amenities so they were equally accessible for hotel guests and the public. Many design alternatives were considered," Courtney Moore, project manager at urban design firm EDSA, comments.

Another consideration at the planning stage was identifying the best way to incorporate the park into the overall design. It was important for the water park to have a visible presence, but not compete with the hotel, Moore says.

"The hotel is a main focus at arrival but the water park is also viewable upon approach to build anticipation and excitement," he adds.

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