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News Swan and Dolphin Tower Expansion - The Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Thread starter TarzanRocked99-
- Start date
trainplane3
Well-Known Member
Hhhhmmmm....
At least the Borg could make a cube exciting. They don't seem so bad now....
MarkTwain
Well-Known Member
Well, at least Bay Lake Tower matched the original tower in material, color scheme, and some vague architectural references (like the rooftop lounge matching the recurring A-frame motif). This doesn't look like it's trying to match any context anywhere... truly a low for Disney's hotel design.
In regards to Graves, it seems like this building is meant to sort of be a "sequel"/companion to the existing Swan & Dolphin. Normally, the polite thing to do in design circles would be to pay tribute or blend in to the existing architectural fabric... Often even new buildings in your average cities will attempt to do that much. Considering Disney created the idea of "architecture of reassurance," or architecture that blends together harmoniously, they should have tried much harder to create a sense of visual cohesiveness. And even though Graves himself isn't alive, his firm is still doing great work in his style, as @the.dreamfinder pointed out above.
And right, I know they're not moving the mini-golf course. Just that it's clear it's now going to be overshadowed by the giant backdrop of this ultra-modernist highrise. I imagine Fantasia Gardens will feel quite a bit less secluded and relaxing than it does now.
A rough view...
Biff215
Well-Known Member
That’s a rough view alright!
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
Should make a clarification regarding the image I posted. That hotel was part of a complex his firm designed for Genting in Singapore back in the mid-late ‘00s; Resorts World Sentosa, home of USS. The purpose of the example was to show how very different forms can co-exist in harmony if they share an underlying design language, like architecture of reassurance. His firm has only done a couple buildings since he died; a high rise under construction in Sri Lanka and a luxury hotel complex in Egypt. I am unsure if these are residual projects from the end of Graves’ life now being completed as a winding down or the firm has post Michael projects yet to be announced. Hopefully the former is not the case.
I’m necessarily opposed to developing a third hotel, but it’s just too close to the others to not be informed by them. But Disney has given up on consistently high quality design unless you’re a Star Wars fan willing to blow hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on your mid life crisis experience. Even then, it could have been so much better.
Funny how Michael, like his contemporary Robert Venturi, was mesmerized by the timeless forms of Rome and infused that into his work and his resort buildings for Disney achieve a level of excellence only matched by Peter Dominick and the WDI designed DLP Hotel and Mira Costa. Like imagine how much of a failure it is for Disney not to understand timelessness is at the heart of its design.
Biff215
Well-Known Member
The new resort is fairly removed from Crescent Lake, so I can’t imagine it disturbing the resorts much at all, but that’s just my guess. Keep the harp.
ABQ
Well-Known Member
Boardwalk and even Boardwalk Villas won't see much as their own structure and the existing Dolphin will obscure it for the most part. Beach Club, all along the beach front area adjacent to Stormalong Bay will have the "best" view, I believe. Yacht Club's view is questionable. I leave it up to @MisterPenguin to see if he can render that view as he had for the view from the World Showcase Lagoon.The new resort is fairly removed from Crescent Lake, so I can’t imagine it disturbing the resorts much at all, but that’s just my guess. Keep the harp.
Creathir
Well-Known Member
I honestly don’t find this hotel THAT offensive.
I personally don’t care for the Swan or Dolphin, so perhaps those that do find this new design completely abhorrent.
It certainly is not within the same “theme” as the other two, but given its distance as well as positioning directly between the two, I think it may help to cohesively bring that area together.
I personally don’t care for the Swan or Dolphin, so perhaps those that do find this new design completely abhorrent.
It certainly is not within the same “theme” as the other two, but given its distance as well as positioning directly between the two, I think it may help to cohesively bring that area together.
P_Radden
Well-Known Member
HauntedMansionFLA
Well-Known Member
Nope
Well, ya know. The 'office tower' is going to be all executive suites, so...
You know something that we and the Unmentionable doesn't?
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
I have you as the first to identify this on my rumor tracker.
Can’t belive it was two years ago. How time flies.
sunsetblvd26
Well-Known Member
Eh. Maybe won’t be popular here but I’ve always found the Sean/Dolphins themselves to be a hideous design. I don’t think the look of this new hotel is inherently bad, but for Disney I’d hope for something a little more...fun, I guess is the word I’m looking for.
