Creating Atlantis The Palm

As well as doing the masterplanning for the resort, EDSA also did the landscape design. The brief here was to "create a cohesive ambiance using a lush tropical jungle experience" he says.

Approximately 6,000 palms, and over half a million shrubs and ground cover were used to create the landscape, plus over 20,000 square metres of turf.

The centrepiece of the water park is the Mesopotamian-style Ziggurat. Rising 30 metres high, the structure is visible from the Dubai mainland as well as from the fronds of the Palm Jumeirah.

The Ziggurat is the showcase for the work of Dubai-based theming contractor Amusement Whitewater, which did the exterior theming at the resort.

"Our role was the creation of the artificial rockwork and the themed plaster on the outside of the buildings that gave the impression that it was all made of giant stone blocks," explains John Cussen, general manager at Amusement White Water. "We also created all the external cornices and mouldings.

The multi-million dollar contract on Atlantis was a significant one for Amusement Whitewater, which has also worked on Ski Dubai in Mall of the Emirates, the exterior of the Madinat Jumeirah, and Wild Wadi, all in Dubai. Atlantis, The Palm is the largest themed construction project ever done in the Middle East, says Cussen.

Theming is all about creating an illusion, he states. "The idea is to create the illusion that you are in another world. While here you are away from the 9-5 and in Atlantis," he says.

Each of the rocks was carved by hand by one of a team of specially trained rock artists, explains Cussen. Working in sand and cement, the artists carve the rock to create the effect requested. Once the rock has been carved, specialist painters colour the rock to finish the effect.

Making the illusion believable comes down to the detail, Cussen says. For the exterior work on Atlantis, for instance, it was important to include cracks and use distress paint to get an authentic old look. "The detail is critical in the creation of the illusion. Everything must look real and touch like the real thing," he says.

The firm used approximately 100,000m² of themed plaster and rockwork in creating the exterior, and at its peak had 500 staff on site.

A key challenge in designing a water park in the GCC is adapting it to work with the climate. Although the high summer temperatures can boost the attractiveness of a water park - Wild Wadi is reportedly at its busiest during the summer months - careful attention still needs to be paid at the design stage to ensure the park doesn't become too hot for comfort.

An innovation in this respect at Aquaventure is that the visitor stays in the water throughout the trip, a solution achieved by using water escalators to carry participants up slide towers. The water is also temperature controlled.

"Climate and comfort became big considerations during the design process as improving the guest experience by never having to have them leave the water was imperative," says Doyle.

Traditional cooling methods were also employed from misting systems at the entrance to the park to overhead awning on central paths. The park also has a path cooling system, using a sprinkler system.

Coping with the heat was in fact one of the major challenges construction workers on the resort had to deal with.

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