JEDDAH, 21 April 2003 — A new indoor children’s theme park, the first of its kind in Asia, is in the final stages of construction in the City Plaza shopping mall.
Designed and constructed around the theme of a cartoon city, the project initiated by Suleiman Al-Abdullah, who runs theme parks, is a radical departure from amusement areas added to shopping areas. With just a week before opening, the final touches are under way.
“This was designed and detailed from the ground up,” said Suleiman. “We brought in the best concept director and artists available and with a budget of SR16 million set out to make this a unique project.”
To date, the design and building has taken a full nine months. “We want this to be absolutely right,” said Suleiman.
“It is a radical step forward in indoor theme parks,” said John Kasperowicz, the project designer. “The ideas and execution here makes the finished project world class. It is as good as the best anywhere.” Kasperowicz should know as his previous experience includes involvement with the design and construction of the famous Epcott Center at Disney World and designing the fantasy castle at EuroDisney in Paris.
Safety and a themed environment were the two prime considerations in the design and construction. The attention to detail is remarkable. Bo Henry, who has worked with Kasperowicz on several projects and is responsible for the artistic content, highlighted some of the subtler details. The paints used to develop the cartoon-city feel were specially commissioned and are lit with theatrical lighting, rather than less flattering spotlights.
“There isn’t a right angle in the place,” he said, “because the whole feel has to be as if you are stepping into a cartoon world. We want children to enter a new sort of reality when they visit. When children come in, we are appealing to their sense of wide-eyed wonder and the innocence that allows them to accept this as a whole world. We want to give them a whole new experience, rather than just a few slot machines.”
The rides used in the park were made in Germany and Italy. “Their engineers have tremendous experience and are very concerned about safety,” said Suleiman. “While we are a commercial concern, we have to make safety our No. 1 consideration.”
Behind the scenes, banks of computers monitor the commercial and safety side of the project. Uniquely in Asia, they also link the park to the Internet.
“A child can have a photo taken to record the event and we put it on our website,” said Suleiman. “It is another first for the Kingdom; the kids can experience the fun of the actual park and then share that with their friends via the Internet.”
