News New Park Entrance coming to Epcot

[James Alucobond]

Id be down if they put in a lot of trees and make the front area full of lush shaded pathways like AK. Make it a forest between SSE and the Lagoon

I think based on everything originally presented, the idea was to go for a bit of an ecodesign fantasy wherein modern materials, plant life, technology, and nature exist in harmony. Hence the green deck atop the Festival Center, the artificial Wishing Tree, the numerous trees to break up the brutalism of CommuniCore, the asymmetrical berms to give a more organic shape to the plaza, etc. Paving over and taming nature is out; sustainable architecture is in.

 

[Bocabear]

Id be down if they put in a lot of trees and make the front area full of lush shaded pathways like AK. Make it a forest between SSE and the Lagoon

I don't understand what the gain would be... Could they have taken the original plan, put back the waterways that were there from the beginning, and then add more landscaping to it? Yes! that would be lovely. Part of what made the park feel so majestic and monumental was the bold symmetry, Open vistas and broad spaces... It wasn't until later when they removed the waterways and then realized they went too far and had endless concrete that it was a problem.
"Sustainable Architecture" is just a buzz phrase...Knocking down half of a symmetrical massive plaza and then replacing it with astroturf doesn't suddenly make it sustainable...It has sustained for 40 years... It was already there... It does not help the environment to tear it down and then replace it at a later date with something else...It is just more waste...
and honestly isn't creating a series of twisted berms and artificial rocks and pathways also "Taming Nature"?

 

[James Alucobond]

"Sustainable Architecture" is just a buzz phrase...Knocking down half of a symmetrical massive plaza and then replacing it with astroturf doesn't suddenly make it sustainable...It has sustained for 40 years... It was already there... It does not help the environment to tear it down and then replace it at a later date with something else...It is just more waste...
and honestly isn't creating a series of twisted berms and artificial rocks and pathways also "Taming Nature"?

Correct, which is why I called it "ecodesign fantasy". It wouldn't actually be any more sustainable, but it would potentially hit on more of the fashionable visual motifs associated with the trend. Vegetation cascading over the edges of terraced skyscrapers is probably just as implausible as the domed city, but one is a much more current fantasy.

 

[Bocabear]

So why could they not have added back the missing waterways and added giant linear planter boxes to the parapet of the existing buildins adding the cascading vegetation...It is possible to do that and still maintain the organization of the central plaza... Move the Fountain Of Nations out of the bottle neck where it was originally placed and put it directly in the center...Rings of landscape surrounding it, and it would have been more "Sustainable" and look more like an Eco-fantasy...without a decade of construction and waste.
The Disneyland "Montana" Tomorrowland concepts touched on these same ideas

 

[James Alucobond]

They could have. I wasn't saying it was the only way to achieve it; I was just responding to the comment that the center should be a lush forest with what I think the actual plan was.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

"Brutalism" in its purest form has no water or greenery elements.

 

[Communicora]

"Brutalism" in its purest form has no water or greenery elements.

Epcot isn't brutalist.

 

[Bocabear]

"Brutalism" in its purest form has no water or greenery elements.

I would never call EPCOT's park design "Brutalist" by any means... Especially in it's first incarnation. The soft rounded curves of the buildings, Graceful waterways and winding paths...HARDLY Brutalist... I am not sure why that word keeps getting bandied about. It was pure modernism with plenty of green space, Window walls to bring the garden views inside...
Go look at some Corbusier and then tell me how Brutalist John Hench's design was.

 

[James Alucobond]

I think it came to feel more brutalist (lowercase “b”) over time as they carved out its curves, blocked its windows, and cut down the natural environment around it. Luckily, those elements are being restored to the one building that remains.

 

[Bocabear]

I think it came to feel more brutalist (lowercase “b”) over time as they carved out its curves, blocked its windows, and cut down the natural environment around it. Luckily, those elements are being restored to the one building that remains.

I agree the changes that happened over time really compromised the design integrity of the central core...biggest offender to me was that horrific paint job... the removal of the waterways and blocking of the windows was also terrible...but clearly this was never designed as Brutalist... not even close.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I partially think they removed the one side as they just didn’t want to have to figure out how to program such large buildings again… what to do with them.

The easy route was to tear down half and move on.

 

[Bocabear]

But when one whole pavilion in Future World was being used as a Festival Center (Which is now going to be used as Play!" the need to put all of that stuff somewhere... Party For The Senses uses the giant temporary, now permanent event tent in World Showcase... Probable both of these things would have fit within the framework of the demolished building, plus more.... They could have left Club Cool and the Giant Starbucks in place as well....the other side? Creations Shop, a new restaurant, and flex event space... it would have cost relatively little to just remodel and freshen these spaces up...and they could free up space in World Showcase for a real attraction...

 

[Disney Analyst]

But when one whole pavilion in Future World was being used as a Festival Center (Which is now going to be used as Play!" the need to put all of that stuff somewhere... Party For The Senses uses the giant temporary, now permanent event tent in World Showcase... Probable both of these things would have fit within the framework of the demolished building, plus more.... They could have left Club Cool and the Giant Starbucks in place as well....the other side? Creations Shop, a new restaurant, and flex event space... it would have cost relatively little to just remodel and freshen these spaces up...and they could free up space in World Showcase for a real attraction...

I mean, I think the new Festival Centre was meant to fit that niche, that is until Covid resulted in cuts. By that time this building was already being torn down.

Now it's the... Festival garden? Festival... area?

 

[Bocabear]

Iger or Chapek could probably afford to build the table top building out of their savings account... I don't think it was an absolute "no money" situation...

 

[FigmentFan82]

when they making a new entrance sign?

 

[CntrlFlPete]

I'm positively vexed that they didn't build any Fiber Optic pavement into the area around the Fountain in front of SSE. That would have been an obvious way to bridge "Old EPCOT" and New with a beloved element that fits the new scheme. I hope they have the sense to give it to us somewhere when the rest of the walls come down.

It is not as grand and details, but they do have Fiber Optic lighting in a ring of pavement around the fountain. Here is a (bad) picture:

 

[wdwmagic]

It is not as grand and details, but they do have Fiber Optic lighting in a ring of pavement around the fountain. Here is a (bad) picture:
View attachment 591955

It isn't lighting, its reflective pieces in the concrete that catch the light.

 

[trainplane3]

It is not as grand and details, but they do have Fiber Optic lighting in a ring of pavement around the fountain. Here is a (bad) picture:
View attachment 591955

Concrete mix with shiny bits.

 

[CntrlFlPete]

It isn't lighting, its reflective pieces in the concrete that catch the light.

Concrete mix with shiny bits.

Thanks! shows what I know...but I swear it looked like is was 'chasing' like a programmed sequence but I imagine it was just the upper chase light causing it. (that was taken pre beacons of lights being switched on)

 

[Bocabear]

when they making a new entrance sign?

That is the very least of their worries right now...lol