I completely agree with you, except for not condemning Soarin' and Nemo. Epcot's Future World has long ago lost its way. As long as each new venue is styled in some ultra-modern decor it doesn't seem to matter what its content is or what its message, if any, is. In some cases the decor doesn't even have to be futuristic - but more industrial.
Dead in the aesthetic sense...:lookaroun:lol: A Forest for FW? No thank you? CCore cleaved in half and portions missing? Noooo..:lol:
Yes I used that term to highlight a point. In many cases the new venues in Future World don't even communicate futuristic so much as they speak of modern or even just industrial. From content of the attractions and exhibits themselves to the design of the physical structures Future World has no cohesive vision anymore.
Count me among the camp that supports more of a "discovery" and "inspiration" theme as opposed to forecasting the future. As you said, technology is advancing at a tremendous pace and it's impractical to maintain attractions and exhibits to keep them fresh at this rate. Future World should inspire, entertain and invite us to learn from our past. Imagination could, for example, allow guests to create elements of their ride to actually particpate in the creative process of their very own ride-through attraction (yes I have devised practical methods regarding how to do this while maintaining an acceptable capacity and development budget). Energy could be a thrill ride racing game where, depending on how you conserve the resources given and what types of energy sources you use to overcome the obstacles in your path, your team would have the chance to come in first place. These are just off the top of my head but all practical based on concepts and proposals I've worked on that have the basics fleshed out such as motion plans, capacity, layout, budget, engineering, guest flow etc.
Ideas like kinetic architecture (essentially buildings that move, change, adapt), sustainable building materials and methods, architecture as information (information that is conveyed through architectural structure and space), LED glazings, interactive architecture, and innovative organic and inorganic forms. 
Yes, exactly.Considering when they were built, I agree those particular buildings, and I would add SSE to the list, are relevant, and more importantly "transparent." By transparent, I mean that the exterior reflects what the structure is housing.
However, by either plussing existing structures, or when the opportunity arises for a new building, they could push the envelope of modern and futuristic architecture. I look no further than the Bay Lake Tower. A chance to innovate or even, just plain steal, ideas and concepts from "masterpieces" of modern, postmodern and futuristic architecture. And imho, they came up short.
I will post a few pictures just to better describe my points. Structures such as these are what I think of when I think of what a "Future" world might look like. Ironically, these buildings exist in the here and now.
For example:
A question for Eddie, not sure if you have this information or not. I know for many years now, TWDC has reached out to prominent architects of the time to design various buildings and spaces throughout the companies many divisions. I know of the many examples in Celebration, the Anaheim offices, the Animation building, Wilderness Lodge, etc., etc., etc., but I have never heard of any buildings within any of the parks worldwide, where TDWC asked an architect to design the structure. Not just on property, but within the "show." My question is have they ever used an "outside" architect to design a "park" building?
Thanks in advance for any insight.
I thought SSE was a given.
Its very late (or very early, depending) so forgive if you intended this sarcastically, but I don't believe the Walt Disney Company had nothing to do with the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Its called that because Lillian Disney (Walt's widow) made a contribution in 1987 to build the place as a tribute to Walt's love of the arts. It was designed by Frank Gehry (architecture) and Yasuhisa Toyota (acoustics).Disney is able to manage some interesting architecture....
:lol: The huge plan to overhall FW in the early 2000's.
Disney is able to manage some interesting architecture....
