PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO
SeaWorld Orlando, USA
Journey to Atlantis
PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO
Ft. Belvoir, Virginia
National Museum of the US Army
Photo: ©2021 Steven Rosen / Available Light
PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO
Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida
Sesame Safari of Fun
For over 25 years, our clients have trusted us to create extraordinary, award-winning experiences specifically designed for their iconic global brands. Here are just a few examples:
Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention
Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention
Working from a conceptual design produced by Jack Rouse Associates of Cincinnati, Ohio, ThemeWorks was contracted by the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention to complete the design, then fabricate and install the museum’s new flagship exhibit, “The Sweat Solution”. The Cade Museum, named for Gatorade Inventor, Robert Cade, seeks to inspire and equip future inventors, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. The Sweat Solution focuses on the extraordinary life and work of Dr. Cade, the field of sports sciences which Dr. Cade helped to pioneer, and other blockbuster inventions that have emerged from the University of Florida.
The Cade Museum is very hands on and the Sweat Solution could be no different. Visitors interact with both mechanical and electronic exhibits to explore the history of Gatorade and the world of sports science. ThemeWorks partnered with graduate students from the University of Florida’s electrical and software engineering programs to develop custom electronics for the displays, consulted with faculty in the University’s Sports Medicine program on ways to demonstrate some of the cutting edge technologies being developed, and worked with the University’s office of technology licensing to obtain prototypes and permission to adapt licensed technologies for the interactive displays.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention: Sweat Solutions Gallery
Designer: JRA
Client: Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention
Size: 2,061 square feet (191 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: Historia Photography
Scope of Work: Additional information coming soon.
The Grammy Museum
The Grammy Museum
Celebrating the art and technology of recorded music, The Grammy Museum educates visitors on the enduring legacies of all those behind the creative process. For the Museum, ThemeWorks created a larger-than-life Grammy Award finished with a durable automotive finish and clear coat. The cast fiberglass “soundproofing” panels were also fabricated for the “Produce a Record” interactive exhibit which allowed budding artists to put their own creative talents to the test.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: The Grammy Museum
Designer: Gallagher and Associates
Client: Design & Production, Inc.
Size: 11,608 square feet ( 1,078 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: Jeremy Regenbogen, John Linden
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks fabricated the oversized Grammy Award of fiberglass with an automotive finish and clear coat. We also produced the cast fiberglass "Soundproofing" panels for the booths in the "Produce A Record" interactive exhibit.
National Center for Civil and Human Rights
National Center for Civil and Human Rights
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a powerful, emotional experience, not merely a destination. ThemeWorks’ contribution included a stylized recreation of the Freedom Bus, scenic vignettes, as well as an evocative presentation on the March on Washington where faux marble panels and text mimic that of the Lincoln Memorial.
The Center offering visitors an interactive and detailed education on the history of the US Civil Rights Movement, while also providing a full exploration of human civil rights struggles throughout the globe.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Designer: Rockwell Group
Client: Design & Production, Inc.
Size: 18,000 square feet (1,672 m²)
Photography: Gene Phillip
National Law Enforcement Museum
National Law Enforcement Museum
Multiple uses of themed, faux finishes and architectural elements are found throughout the Law Enforcement Museum in Washington DC. Honoring the fallen, and telling the story of American law enforcement, the Museum features multiple interactive exhibits and displays.
Specifically, a themed fiberglass column was cladded, featuring weaponry used in law enforcement efforts. Prison cell doors were recreated to match those used from an actual prison in Virginia for visitors to experience true confinement of those accused or convicted. Precise sculpting was used to depict the damage caused on skulls from various assaults including, blunt force trauma, knife wounds and gunshot wounds.
The exhibits show the true cost and sacrifice of the otherwise unseen individuals who protect our society every day.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: National Law Enforcement Museum
Designer: Christopher Chadbourne & Associates and Studio 647
Client: Design & Production, Inc.
Size: 18,000 square feet (1,672 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: Jay Rosenblat
National Shell Museum
National Shell Museum
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: National Shell Museum
Designer: Tenji, Inc.
Client: Tenji, Inc.
Photography: Eric Dale
US Army Corp of Engineers
US Army Corp of Engineers
Additional information coming soon.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: US Army Corp of Engineers
Designer: Multimedia Marketing
Client: Multimedia Marketing
Size: x,000 square feet (836 m²)
Photography: Additional information coming soon.
Scope of Work: Additional information coming soon.
EdVenture Energy Tower
EdVenture Energy Tower
A 30-foot-high tower was designed and created to greet visitors to Columbia, South Carolina’s EdVenture Children’s Museum. Featuring numerous recycled materials in its construction, The Energy Tower has two levels of interactive exhibits that focus on green energy generation as well as conservation. The Tower has served as the ideal welcome piece for the Museum’s 67,000 square feet of interactive and educational exhibit space.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: EdVenture Energy Tower
Designer: ThemeWorks, Inc.
Client: EdVenture Children's Museum
Size: 30' (9.14 m) in height
Photography: LeGrand Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks provided complete turnkey design-build services for the interactive packed EdVenture Energy Tower. Starting with schematic design, our team was responsible for the structure, decking, interior lighting, green energy interpretive exhibits featuring a wind turbine and solar panel, an energy conservation exhibit that demonstrated the differences in energy consumption of incandescent and fluorescent light sources, wall panels showcasing a variety of recycled and recyclable materials, an interactive station demonstrating the heat gain of various roofing materials, a themed "atom" whirl-a-gig, a weather monitoring station and a spiral slide to transport guests back to ground level from the upper section of the tower.
Airborne & Special Forces Museum
Airborne & Special Forces Museum
ThemeWorks worked closely with Design & Production to create an exhibit that would honor the proud history and tradition of the US Airborne and Special Forces. Working from historical references provided by the museum and our own reference library, ThemeWorks’ artists created full scale dioramas of various historic battles in which the Airborne & Special Forces played a key role. From the highly detailed scenes of an icy field from the Battle of the Bulge, to a war-torn French village, and a mission briefing tent in the Pacific Theater, our artists and muralists created realistically vivid environments against scenically painted backdrops to create a truly immersive experience for the visitor.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Airborne & Special Forces Museum
Designer: Design Minds
Client: Design & Production, Inc.
Size: 19,000 square feet (1,765 m²)
Photography: Design and Production, Inc.
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks provided immersion environments including a bombed-out WWII French Village, a walk-through C-47 Cargo Plane, WWII Mission Briefing Tent and Theater, full-scale dioramas of a Normandy invasion glider unloading, the Battle of the Bulge, a Vietnam helicopter landing, as well as hand-painted murals throughout the museum.
Budweiser “True” Sign
Budweiser “True” Sign
ThemeWorks worked with designer Elaine Swanger to create the icon for a Budweiser themed merchandise store inside the Sea World San Diego theme park. Following Elaine’s artwork, ThemeWorks produced this fiberglass and aluminum sign that featured sculptural elements gilded with 24 karat gold that are mounted in front of a metallic sunburst panel. When the sign catches the sun, it shimmers with a rich luster that only real gold possesses. The sign exudes quality, luxury, and craftsmanship.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Budweiser "True" Sign
Designer: Elaine Swanger
Client: SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Size: Approximately 3’ tall x 3’ wide (91 cm x 91 cm)
Photography: ThemeWorks, Inc.
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks provided technical design and fabricated the sign. The sign is a combination of fiberglass and aluminum components finished with automotive paints and 24 karat gold leaf.
Chickasaw Cultural Center
Chickasaw Cultural Center
Widely recognized as one of the largest and most extensive tribal cultural centers in the United States, the Chickasaw Cultural Center celebrates the vision, resilience, and spirit of the Chickasaw Nation and serves as a model for tribal centers around the world.
More than an exploration into First American history, the Center is rather an immersion into a formative and ongoing culture, rich in traditions that are to be preserved and protected. In capturing the essence of the Chickasaw culture, the center allows visitors to walk through unforgettable experiences of individuals and families, their struggles and journeys, as this great nation fought to not only survive, but thrive. We witness first hand the past and current contributions of the Chickasaw people to agriculture, art and society.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: The Chickasaw Cultural Center
Designer: Hilferty and Andrew Merriell
Client: The Chickasaw Nation
Size: 5,300 square feet (497 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: LeGrand Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks recreated a thatch and timber council house which serves as an orientation theater at the beginning of the museum experience. At the conclusion of a short introductory film, the projection screen rises up revealing a hidden exit from the theater through a limestone cave. Visitors emerge from the cave into an ethereal forest representing the spiritual origins and homelands of the Chickasaw people. Along the pathway that winds through towering trees and crosses a bubbling stream, visitors discover ancient tribal symbols, hear legends of the Chickasaw people, and maybe catch a glimpse of some of the Spirit Forest’s mystical inhabitants.
ThemeWorks was responsible for the creating the immersive cave and Spirit Forest environment including the production of artificial rocks, terrain, plants, and trees, as well as sculptures, water features, and wall murals. ThemeWorks worked with the AV team to incorporate special effects, A/V equipment, and theatrical lights into the physical environment.
Following the Spirit Forest, visitors pass through a series of galleries where they learn more about the traditional life of the Chickasaw people and the history of the Chickasaw Nation from ancient through modern times.
One particularly poignant gallery addresses the removal of the Chickasaw people from their traditional homelands by the United States government and their relocation to the Oklahoma Territory. For this gallery, ThemeWorks was tasked with creating sculptures, silhouette panels, and wall murals capturing some of the hardships and emotions that the Chickasaw people faced during this difficult time.
National Museum of the United States Army
National Museum of the United States Army
Step into the National Museum of the United States Army and embark on a journey through the 250-year history of American soldiers, from the colonial era to modern-day deployments. The exhibits not only celebrate the Army's triumphs and contributions to society but also confront the harsh realities of warfare. Through compelling stories of individual soldiers and immersive environments, visitors are transported to pivotal moments in Army history, including the battle of Gettysburg, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the Normandy landings, and the fall of Baghdad.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: National Museum of the United States Army
Designer: Christopher Chadbourne & Associates, Eisterhold and Associates
Client: Design & Production, Inc.
Size: 45,000 square feet (4,181 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: Scott Metzler, Steven Rosen, Available Light
Scope of Work: Working alongside renowned museum pioneers, Design and Production, ThemeWorks crafted scale models, immersive environments, and scenic wall treatments, breathing life into the museum's narratives.
Among the scale models crafted for the museum is a panoramic depiction of Colonel Henry Knox's astonishing feat of grit and determination during the Revolutionary War, where he and his militia transported heavy cannon across hundreds of miles of treacherous frozen terrain to end the siege of Boston. ThemeWorks used a combination of modern technology and traditional artistry to meticulously create hundreds of unique miniatures and give visitors an impression of the scale of the epic scale of Knox’s undertaking.
In the World War I Gallery, ThemeWorks created immersive environments that thrust visitors into the trenches of the Western Front and take them across the deadly wastes of “No Man’s Land”. ThemeWorks used sculpted concrete, period appropriate sandbags, artificial plants, and spent ammunition casings to recreate the war torn battlefields of France.
One of the highlights of the World War II gallery is a tableau displaying the “Cobra King”, a legendary Sherman Tank famous for being the first to break through into the besieged city of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. The tank is displayed in its battle battle-worn state, encrusted in artificial ice, snow, and mud. When applying scenic treatments to historic vehicles like the Cobra King, ThemeWorks uses carefully selected processes and materials to ensure that the treatments are fully reversable thereby ensuring that the integrity of the artifact is preserved.
For the museum’s Cold War Gallery, ThemeWorks created a highly detailed three-dimensional physical relief map of the Vietnam war. ThemeWorks researched and precisely mapped the location of key settlements, landmarks, and combat zones that had been identified by the museum’s historians. ThemeWorks then utilized GIS and 3D modeling software to combine this map with terrain data to create a three-dimensional look at the conflict that few, if any, had seen before. By presenting the history in context with the terrain, the map gives visitors a deeper appreciation of the importance of supply routes like the Ho Chi Minh Trail and strategic choke points like the A Shau Valley and Khe Sanh that were fought over so bitterly. The map has become a focal point for veterans who often reference it while sharing the details of their service.
The National Museum of the United States Army opened its doors to the public in 2020 and has since been hailed as one of the Nation’s premier military museums.
Jamestown Settlement Museum
Jamestown Settlement Museum
Four hundred years after colonists from England first set foot on shore of the James River under the watchful and wary eyes of the native Powhatans, visitors to the Jamestown Settlement can explore the struggles that occurred at this confluence of river and sea, people and ideas.
As part of the team under prime contractor Design & Production, ThemeWorks created all dioramas, themed environments and scenic fabrication for the 30,000 square feet (2,787 m2) of Gallagher and Associates designed gallery space in the museum.
Working closely with Jamestown curators to ensure historical, archaeological and botanic fidelity, our team spent weeks in the estuaries and forests surrounding the James River molding trees, collecting soil samples and photographing details for reference during the fabrication process.
Incorporating these details into the exhibits such as a full-scale 1600s London street scene, a Powhatan forest village and a partial reproduction of the ship Susan Constant adds layers of realism and helps set the stage for the museum’s guests’ exploration of Jamestown’s complex and fascinating history.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Jamestown Settlement Museum
Designer: Gallagher and Associates
Client: Design & Production, Inc.
Size: 30,000 square feet (2787 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: LeGrand Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks created all dioramas, themed environments, and scenic fabrication for the 30,000 square feet of gallery space in the new museum.
Notable scenic dioramas include a 17th century London street, a pre-European arrival Powhatan dwelling and surrounding environs, an Angolan dwelling, and a full scale replica of one of the first ships to arrive with settlers, the Susan Constant.
The London street scene features pegged timber construction and period plaster over lath, diamond light lead caned windows and authentic interior detailing such as linenfold panel wainscoting.
The Powhatan diorama is a realistic depiction of a wooded scene on the banks of the James River, featuring numerous artificial trees, shrubs, fabricated corn and bean plants and a simulated tidal creek.
The Angolan diorama features an authentic recreation of an Angolan stick and mud hut, a Baobab tree with seed pods and cultivated plants including corn, beans and manioc.
Other components included a hand-hewn oak tobacco barn complete with fabricated “hands” of tobacco, split-rail fencing, palisade fencing, numerous props, English bond brickwork and scenic painting on several facades.
Life cast figures, graphics, AV, casework, yehakin, and other components were produced by either the Owner or Design & Production.
North American River Otter Exhibit
Palm Beach Zoo
North American River Otter Exhibit
Palm Beach Zoo
A slowly meandering river, lush vegetation and weathered timber create a rustic setting for the Palm Beach Zoo’s North American River Otter Exhibit. ThemeWorks worked closely with PCL Construction and Torre Design Consortium to recreate the Florida of the early 1900s. The popular award-winning exhibit is enjoyed by guests and otters alike.
Project Details
Project: Palm Beach Zoo- North American River Otter Exhibit
Designer: Torre Design Consortium, Ltd.
Client: PCL Construction Services, Inc.
Size: Approximately 1000 square feet (93 m²)
Photography: Legrand Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks created the artificial environments for both the aquatic and terrestrial habitats in this recreation of a Florida riverbank. Large “Sentinel Rocks” were sculpted on each side of the main tank and a highly detailed eroded mud bank was hand textured in shotcrete. Artificial cypress trees were shop-fabricated in fiberglass to clad the cast concrete exhibit glazing structure. Small, artificial cypress “knees”, an aged waterwheel and log crib retaining walls added to the “Old Florida” theme.
Ponce Inlet Marine Science Center
Ponce Inlet Marine Science Center
The Ponce Inlet Marine Science Center provides an exciting opportunity for visitors to the Daytona Beach / Volusia County area to explore and discover the local coastal habitat.
Set among the scrub oaks just beyond the sand dunes, the Marine Science Center offers one of the most elaborate exhibits of its size in Florida. Guests to the Marine Science Center are guided through the more than 4,000 square feet of turtle rehabilitation, lab, classroom, and interpretive exhibits.
ThemeWorks provided design consultation and fabrication of all the exhibits, dioramas, graphics, and murals. ThemeWorks worked closely with the exhibit designer, the client and several biological experts to recreate naturalistic Florida coastal environments.
Project Details
Project: Ponce Inlet Marine Science Center
Designer: Bellomo-Herbert & Company, Inc.
Client: Volusia County, Florida
Size: Approximately 4000 square feet (372 m²)
Photography: Legrand Photography
Scope of Work: Lorem ipsum...
Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit
Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit
Additional information coming soon.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit
Designer: Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit / ThemeWorks, Inc.
Client: Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit
Size: 100 square feet (9.29 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: LeGrand Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks was contracted by the Smithsonian Institution to design and fabricate an educational exhibit featuring a full-scale recreation of an Oculina reef. To ensure maximum authenticity, ThemeWorks created molds of hundreds of Oculina fragments supplied by the Smithsonian. The 3”–5” fragments were then carefully assembled by ThemeWorks artists into dense, intricate coral heads. Since the coal heads would be within reach of visitors, steel pins were used to reinforce each joint. Seams were filled and hand-sculpted, and the corals were meticulously painted to match the research material provided by the Smithsonian and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution.
Upcountry History Museum
Upcountry History Museum
The busy streets of a turn-of-the-century mill town spring to life in South Carolina’s Upcountry History Museum. Based on a design by Christopher Chadbourne, ThemeWorks crafted period facades and groundforms to recreate the fabric of early Upcountry life.
From the grand, colonnaded courthouse to the mill that was the lifeblood of this 15-county area, the 9,000-square-foot space weaves the Upcountry’s “common threads and uncommon stories” into a compelling experience. Period details in each structure delight both casual and discerning museum visitors, who come to discover the personalities, cultures, and spirit of the region.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: The Upcountry History Museum
Designer: Christopher Chadbourne and Associates
Client: Explus, Incorporated
Size: 9,000 square feet (836 m²)
Photography: Cox Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks created seven scenic period building facades, select groundforms and scenic painting for the museum. The facades included The Courthouse, Bank, Mill Tower, Mill, Mansion House, McBee Store and Church. The façade work was installed directly on to facility sheetrock walls.
WonderWorks Orlando
WonderWorks Orlando
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: WonderWorks Orlando
Designer: Terry Nichoson, Nichoson Design International
Client: Attraction Concepts, Ltd.
Size: 9,000 square feet (836 m²)
Photography:
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks themed the entire first floor of this unique attraction, including the upside-down grand lobby. Based on a science experiment gone awry, the grand lobby was designed as a Greek Revival style building that had been deposited upside down on a brick warehouse. Using standard construction materials, ThemeWorks fabricated the forced perspective grand lobby as a “hanging set,” actually suspending it in the air. Theming the brick warehouse to appear as if it had “received” the grand lobby, ThemeWorks fabricated and themed distressed faux I-beams and trusses as bent and twisted warehouse roof supports. The flooring is a custom tile and the walls are a faux brick veneer, all scenically treated to give the warehouse a weathered appearance.
West Virginia State Museum
West Virginia State Museum
Explore the streets of a frontier village. Brave the cramped conditions of a coal mine, or travel back to prehistory to see how coal was formed. Through environments like these, the West Virginia State Museum celebrates the state’s land, people and culture.
ThemeWorks’ immersive exhibits place visitors in the thick of West Virginia history. As visitors travel forward through time, they move from a grand 1920s movie theater to the shuttered banks of the Depression, arriving in a soda shop where women and African-Americans fought for equal rights. Emerging in the modern era, visitors see recreations of two West Virginia landmarks, Memorial Tunnel and the New River Gorge Bridge. The scale-model bridge, set among thousands of handmade trees in the full flush of fall color, is a fitting link to the next chapter in the state’s storied history.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: The West Virginia State Museum
Designer: Matthew Martin DesignWorks, LLC
Client: Design & Production, Incorporated
Size: 24,000 square feet (2,229 m²)
Photography: Rob Witzel Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks produced all scenic facades, immersion environments and dioramas for the museum. Highlights include a coal swamp with integrated AV and artifacts, a frontier outpost with a period barn and palisade, a simulated coal mine, a scale model of the New River Gorge Bridge over 18’ in length, artificial rockwork, textured scenic flooring surfaces and a mining “company town”. The company town includes numerous period building facades including a boarding house, train depot, general store, 1920s movie theater, VFW hall, and a drugstore.
Cabela’s Owatonna
Cabela’s Owatonna
Upon entering Cabela’s 150,000 square foot Owatonna retail store, you are immersed in the grandeur of outdoor sport. Soaring timber trusses, warm colored woods, and natural stone create a “North Woods Lodge” look and an exciting retail environment.
Highly detailed aquarium environments, fabricated by ThemeWorks, are home to numerous northern game fish and provide additional motivation for sportsmen gearing up for their expeditions. Every element in the artificial environments was created with a urethane plastic rockwork system which provides incredible realism, durability, and fast installation.
Scale models were created for each tank environment by the ThemeWorks team to provide reference during fabrication. The complete tank environments were prefabricated in out Florida facility using the light weight FUTURA material. This material allowed the scenery to be easily cut into sections and transported to site for a quick installation. The entire installation was completed in eight days.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Cabela’s Owatonna Retail
Designer: Mr. Robb Zimmerman, Cabela’s Inc.
Client: Entertainment Environments, Inc. for Cabela’s Inc.
Size: 150,000 sf (13,935 m²) store. Aquariums total approx. 3,000 sf (279 m²)
Photography: Robert Starling, Starling Productions
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks created complete theming for two aquariums, including artificial rockwork, artificial logs, trees and stumps. Additional logs, stumps and dock pilings were provided for two other aquariums. All elements were created with urethane which provided high detail capture and zero chemical leaching into the tanks.
Eddie
EdVenture Children’s Museum
Eddie
EdVenture Children’s Museum
It’s fun to be a kid! And few places celebrate the childhood joys of wonder and discovery more than Edventure Children’s Museum in Columbia, South Carolina. As the largest children’s museum in the South, EdVenture is also home to the “World’s Largest Child”- EDDIE®.
EDDIE is a 40’ (12.19m) tall boy that kids of all ages love to explore! Learning about the human body (inside and out) has never been this much fun! You can crawl through, climb up and slide down through Eddie, and even bounce around inside of his stomach. Created to celebrate the diversity of all people of South Carolina, Eddie serves as the entrance icon for the museum.
ThemeWorks designed, built and installed EDDIE® in nine months. Working from a conceptual design from The Haizlip Firm, LLC, our artisans sculpted Eddie in fiberglass, disassembled him and shipped the components to the museum site on flatbed trucks. At the site, he was reassembled and final finish paints were applied.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Eddie Play Structure
Designer: The Haizlip Firm
Client: EdVenture Children’s Museum
Size: 40’-0” (12.19m²) tall play sculpture
Photography: LeGrand Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks provided design/build fabrication services for this 40’-0” tall interactive sculpture of a boy, including the structural steel supports, play structure, interactive exhibits, special lighting, sound effects, sculpting, and installation. Conceptualized by the Haizlip Firm and EdVenture as “the world’s largest child,” Eddie is a 17.5 ton hands-on exhibit that allows children of all ages to explore the human body. Kids can scale up Eddie’s vertebrae to get an up-close look at his brain and continue down through his body, exploring the heart and stomach before sliding out through the intestines. With a schedule of only nine months, the ThemeWorks team fabricated Eddie in our facility in sections and then reassembled him onto structural steel supports at the site.
Uncovering Virginia
Virginia Museum of Natural History
Uncovering Virginia
Virginia Museum of Natural History
At the Virginia Museum of Natural History, visitors are transported back 300 million years to a time when giant dragonflies, salamanders and centipedes populated the state. That’s the magic of “Uncovering Virginia,” one of the exhibits ThemeWorks fabricated for this Martinsville, Virginia attraction.
Through interactive displays and dynamic environments, ThemeWorks – with designers Reich and Petch and exhibit contractor Design & Production – recreates places and eras of Virginia’s dynamic natural history. ThemeWorks also crafted the “How Nature Works: Rocks” exhibit, with geologic replicas, models of tectonic movement, even a translucent model of an active volcano.
Across 15,000 square feet of exhibit space, visitors come to understand the epic forces that shaped Virginia’s natural environment, as well as the keys to protecting it.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Uncovering Virginia and How Nature Works
Designer: Reich and Petch
Client: Design & Production, Inc.
Size: 15,000 square feet (1,393 m2) of exhibit space
Photography: Jay Rosenblatt
Scope of Work: As the primary scenic fabricator, we worked with the exhibit prime contractor, Design & Production, Inc. to create all the scenic dioramas and select exhibit components. These included a simulated coal seam and coal bed display which was molded in the field, a coal swamp scene featuring recreated lycopods and other ancient plants, a highly realistic Solite Quarry diorama with modeled artificial rockwork and plants, fossil “books”, a trash pit reproduction, a fossil-intensive Chippokes cliff face reproduction, a see-through model of a volcano with animated light magma chambers, and large dimensional models of three plate tectonic conditions.
Polar Bear Plunge
San Diego Zoo
Polar Bear Plunge
San Diego Zoo
ThemeWorks brought the Arctic to sunny California in the Polar Bear Plunge, a 4,000-square-foot exhibit space. Work on the interpretive exhibit included preparing a Bell 206 B3 Expedition Helicopter as an outdoor attraction by modifying it for ADA access, structurally reinforcing and weatherproofing it, and adding a new paint scheme. ThemeWorks created three oversized storybooks with fourteen sculpted and reinforced concrete log seats, adding to the interactive experience. Two refrigerators with food were fabricated to simulate how much a polar bear eats in a day. A scale allowed visitors to see how many humans it takes to equal the weight of just one of these massive animals, and an 850-square-foot replica of a Polar Bear snow den allowed guests to explore their homes. Research props including crates, radio collars, laptops, and radio headsets along with two interactive tables focusing on conservation and the melting polar caps gave a window to the importance of studying, understanding, and educating others on this critical part of our world.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Polar Bear Plunge, San Diego Zoo
Designer: Ben Meza, AIA, Mosher Drew Watson Ferguson Architects , San Diego
Client: The San Diego Zoo
Size: 4,000 square feet (372 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: Kevin Walsh
Scope of Work: Our work for this interpretive exhibit included preparing a Bell 206 B3 Expedition Helicopter as an outdoor exhibit by modifying it for ADA access, structurally reinforcing it, weatherproofing it, and applying a new paint scheme.
We created three oversized, interactive illustrated storybooks, fourteen sculpted reinforced concrete log seats, two refrigerators with food simulating how much a polar bear eats in a day, a sculpted totem pole, a scale interactive that allows guests to see how many of them it takes to equal the weight of a single polar bear, an 850 sf Polar Bear Snow Den that guests can explore, a sculpture of a seal, Spin-the-Dial Interactive, research props (crated, radio collars, laptop computer, radio headsets, etc.), two interactive tables with melting polar ice caps, Carbon Scale and Carbon Graph interactive, Conservation Wall exhibit and graphics throughout the exhibit.
Lyonia Environmental Center
Lyonia Environmental Center
The Florida Scrub is a desert-like habitat that exists in small patches scattered around the state. Scrub only represents a small fraction of the Florida’s total land area, but it plays a vital role in the recharge of the state’s ground water resources and is home to numerous endemic species of plants and animals. The goal of the Lyonia Environmental Center is to raise public awareness about this endangered habitat and promote its preservation.
ThemeWorks was contracted to provide exhibits including dioramas and interactive displays that explore the geology, hydrology, and biology of the scrub habitat and illustrate why its preservation is important to both animals and people alike.
The exhibit includes a large central diorama that illustrates the fire cycle of the scrub habitat. The diorama is brought to life by detailed models of scrub plants and animals. Guests are invited to reach into burrows embedded in the diorama and use touch to identify the animal models that are hidden inside. The sound made by each animal is played by an audio device hidden in the burrow which the guests unknowingly trigger as they reach in. The surprised reaction of a person who’s up to their elbow in an animal burrow which is suddenly emanating a loud rattling sound provides an element of humor and excitement that helps capture the attention and imagination of exhibit goers. Exhibit highlights include a three dimensional geological model that is animated using fiber optics to illustrate the hydrological cycle and pneumatics to demonstrate the formation of a sink hole. Another display enables guests to filter water through various materials to demonstrate why the scrub’s sandy soil is so efficient at absorbing rainwater and returning into the aquifer.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Lyonia Environmental Center
Designer: Hammer Media/ThemeWorks, Inc.
Client: Volusia County, Florida
Size: 4,000 square feet (372 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: LeGrand Photograph
Hall of Human Origins
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Hall of Human Origins
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Additional information coming soon.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Hall of Human Origins, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Designer: Reich + Petch
Client: Design & Production, Inc.
Size: 15,000 square feet (1,394 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: ?Rob Witzel
Scope of Work: Additional information coming soon.
Mars Traveling Exhibit
Ripley’s Aquariums
Mars Traveling Exhibit
Ripley’s Aquariums
There’s life on Mars! At least there is when venturing into the 2,400 square feet of space ThemeWorks helped create for the Ripley’s “MARS: The Search for Life” Traveling Exhibit.
Bridging what we know and what we imagine, the Mars exhibit combines science with science fiction and even a bit of Hollywood, in an educational exhibit that is interactive at every turn.
ThemeWorks created a highly detailed , enhanced topographical model of Mars as the center of the exhibit. A digital floor scale calibrates visitors’ weight, while an interactive “time machine” calculates their age on the red planet. Specific exhibits on gravity, wind power and water flow allow visitors to explore the many evolutionist theories on the question of life on Mars.
Truly an experience for all ages, wall displays, hands-on activities and video presentations educate and inform while an imposing green Martian sparks imagination.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Mars Traveling Exhibit, Ripley's Aquariums
Designer: Hammer Media
Client: Ripley's Entertainment, Inc.
Size: 2,500 square feet (232 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: LeGrand Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks provided comprehensive fabrication services for this traveling exhibit that explores the planet Mars. Our work included building all walls, dioramas, interactives, models, and scenic fabrication. Interactive exhibits included "Weigh-In on Mars", a weight lift interactive, an "Earth Age vs. Mars Age Time Machine", simple mechanical orbital models of the Earth and Mars, a water exhibit, model Mars Rovers controlled by guests, a "Terrain Making" interactive which showed how the Martian landscape formed, "Now and Then" interactive quizzes, a Mars Flag Plant photo opportunity interactive, and an actual meteor with display mounting.
50th Anniversary Icon
Sea World Orlando
50th Anniversary Icon
Sea World Orlando
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of SeaWorld Parks, ThemeWorks fabricated individual icons for SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego. The over 20-foot tall creations were engineered to withstand hurricane force winds and provided the perfect backdrop for guest photos at the iconic parks.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: 50th Anniversary Icon
Designer: Deep Blue Creative
Client: SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Size: 400 square feet (37 m²)
Photography: LeGrand Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks provided complete design, engineering, fabrication and installation of the Icons. The icons were primarily fabricated from aluminum, acrylic, and aluminum.
Pirates!,
Ripley’s Aquariums
Pirates!,
Ripley’s Aquariums
Pirates! Predators of the Sea! Traveling Exhibit
ThemeWorks provided comprehensive fabrication services for this traveling exhibit that examines the history and colorful personalities of Piracy.
Our work included building all walls, dioramas, interactives, pirate figures, and scenic fabrication. All skeletal pirate figures were sculpted with an internal steel armature to ensure durability with over two million anticipated exhibit guests. The Wapping Tide exhibit features carved stonework and a hanging gibbet cage photo opportunity, which our blacksmith constructed and welded by hand. The partial ship deck of a pirate sloop was hand-crafted to appear as hand-hewn oak, including the knees, planks, beams, ribbing, and cannon ports. The ship deck features replica 4-pounder cast-iron cannons with hand-crafted wood carriages, tools and ordinance, displays of authentic medical tools and weaponry, living quarters and period lanterns. Exhibit interactives include a hidden treasure stash, quizzes with dagger handles, hard tack interactive with weevils, crate crawl-through with revealed cargo, navigate by astrolabe interactive, spyglass interactive and cannon port interactive.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Pirates! Traveling Exhibit
Designer: Hammer Media
Client: Ripley's Entertainment, Inc.
Size: 2,500 square feet (232 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: Gary Heatherly
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks provided comprehensive fabrication services for this traveling exhibit that examines the history and colorful personalities of Piracy. Our work included building all walls, dioramas, interactives, pirate figures, and scenic fabrication. All skeletal pirate figures were sculpted with an internal steel armature to ensure durability with over two million anticipated exhibit guests. The Wapping Tide exhibit features carved stonework and a hanging gibbet cage photo opportunity, which our blacksmith constructed and welded by hand. The partial ship deck of a pirate sloop was hand-crafted to appear as hand-hewn oak, including the knees, planks, beams, ribbing, and cannon ports. The ship deck features replica 4-pounder cast-iron cannons with hand-crafted wood carriages, tools and ordinance, displays of authentic medical tools and weaponry, living quarters and period lanterns. Exhibit interactives include a hidden treasure stash, quizzes with dagger handles, hard tack interactive with weevils, crate crawl-through with revealed cargo, navigate by astrolabe interactive, spyglass interactive and cannon port interactive.
Mako
Sea World Orlando
Mako
Sea World Orlando
Working as part of an integrated team of PGAV architects, SeaWorld Creative, and SeaWorld Animal Husbandry, ThemeWorks played a key role from concept through creation of this extraordinary experience. Every aspect of the scene is designed to immerse the visitor in the underwater realm of the shark. Suspended “wave canopies” including metal shark sculptures up to 12 feet in length, fabricated, stylized corals, scenic paint. Precise planning and design coordination was crucial in the development of the Sunken Ship and coral rock work as coaster riders were literally plunged into the depths of the decaying ship. The entire experience is complemented by specially created educational interactives and interpretive exhibits which provide valuable opportunities for guests to uncover the mysteries of the shark and dispel the many myths and fears surrounding these amazing creatures.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Mako, SeaWorld Orlando
Designer: PGAV
Client: SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Size: 2 acres (.81 ha)
Photography: LeGrand Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks served as the theming contractor for the land and, in conjunction with the project team, provided comprehensive design-build services for the themed elements. These included the "Water Canopy" overhead sculptural elements, metal shark sculptures featuring various species of sharks, thematic paint and texturing of building surfaces and ride supports, the iconic shipwreck and coral sculpture integrated with the ride track, sunken ship props such as portholes, watertight bulkheads, pipes, and grilles, gift shop theming, educational interpretive and interactive exhibits, and all themed signage throughout the land.
Safari of Fun
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Safari of Fun
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
As the theming contractor for the project, ThemeWorks worked with Suzanne Sessions Inc. and PGAV architects to transform an existing space into the single most recognizable and beloved street in America. The Sesame Safari of Fun features rides, wet and dry play areas, musical venues, educational interactives, and memory-making photo opportunities throughout 2.5 acres. ThemeWorks rebranded all existing signage, and rides including the intricate Carousel, with new Sesame Street elements. Murals were created, all guest-facing buildings were rethemed and the “treehouse” re-themed by ThemeWorks to create the iconic experience of Sesame Street and its adored inhabitants.
As the theming contractor for the project, ThemeWorks worked with Suzanne Sessions Inc. and PGAV architects to transform an existing space into a safari-themed adventure with the beloved Sesame Street family. The Sesame Safari of Fun features rides, wet and dry play areas, musical venues, educational interactives, and memory-making photo opportunities throughout 2.5 acres. ThemeWorks created all new signage, and rebranded the rides including the intricate Carousel, with new Sesame Street, safari-themed elements. Murals were created, all guest-facing buildings were themed, and the “treehouse” was refurbished by ThemeWorks to create an iconic experience of Sesame Street, safari-style.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Safari of Fun, Busch Gardens Tampa
Designer: Suzanne Sessions
Client: Busch Entertainment Corporation
Size: 2.5 acres (1.01 ha)
Photography: Rob Witzel Photography
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Forest of Fun
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Forest of Fun
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
In the Sesame Street Forest of Fun, characters and landscapes spring from our imagination into three dimensions. Based on designs by Suzanne Sessions, Inc., and PGAV architects, the Forest of Fun invites families into the world of Sesame Street through an immersive 9,500-square-foot attraction.
Scenic flats, characters, building facades and signage set the stage in a themed environment that extends through wet and dry play areas, four rides and interactive educational exhibits – combining fun and learning in a real-life version of childhood’s most beloved neighborhood.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Sesame Street Forest of Fun
Designer: PGAV, Suzanne Sessions, Inc.
Client: Busch Entertainment Corp.
Size: 1.5 acres (.6 ha)
Photography: Rob Witzel
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks served as the thematic contractor for Busch Gardens Williamsburg 2009 expansion, Sesame Street Forest of Fun. Covering 95,000 square feet, the Forest of Fun combines rides, wet and dry play areas, a 4-D film, musical shows, educational interactives and character dining and photo-ops in an immersive themed environment.
Working from designs created by Suzanne Sessions, Inc. and PGAV architects, ThemeWorks delivered a complete theming package for the park’s expansion. The ThemeWorks team fabricated large scenic flats to create Sesame themed building facades, sculpted dimensional characters, scenically painted the area’s buildings to augment the Sesame look and feel, painted the themed signage and created the Sesame themed interactive educational exhibits in the ride queue lines.
Journey to Atlantis
SeaWorld San Diego
Journey to Atlantis
SeaWorld San Diego
As the theming contractor for the entire project, ThemeWorks helped bring the legend of the seas to life in San Diego. From the iconic ride towers to all show surfaces from queue lines to the gift shop, every inch of the visitor experience immerses them in an unforgettable under-the-sea adventure.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Journey to Atlantis
Designer: Suzanne Sessions, Inc.
Client: SeaWorld San Diego, Busch Entertainment Corporation
Size: TBD square feet (TBD m²)
Photography: ThemeWorks, Inc.
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks’ scope of work included interior and exterior theming of all show buildings, including carved plaster, architectural elements and scenic painting for the land. Some of the scenic fabrication included a 14’ (4.27 m) diameter hanging brazier bowl integrated with water effects, 4' (1.22 m) diameter brazier bowls with integrated fog effects, cast fiberglass pilasters, column covers and trim, finials, projection scrim, themed light covers, water sconce/brazier bowls, themed speaker covers, dolphin capitals on faux marble columns, cast fish medallions and simulated glass banners, aquarium decorative trim, and scenic painting over all show surfaces in the two ride towers, ride queue, locker area, and gift shop.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Gatlinburg
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Gatlinburg
Over 600 Believe It or Not! exhibits are housed behind the ThemeWorks-created facade of sculptural tableaus of the majestic Great Smoky Mountains scenery and wildlife. In the heart of downtown Gatlinburg are bears, raccoons, possums and other character vignettes tucked amidst soaring cliffs and trees that stretch out over 14,000 square feet of space.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Ripley's Believe It or Not! Gatlinburg
Designer: Ripley's Entertainment
Client: Ripley's Entertainment
Size: 14,700 square feet (1,365 m²) of scenery
Photography: Historia Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks provided full design, engineering, fabrication, and installation services for all of the exterior themed elements. Our design work included a ½”- 1’ scale model of the building and thematic elements, and engineered drawings of the entire facade and supporting structure. The fabricated elements consisted of ten street side tree trunk column clads, a main tree trunk on the corner of the building, sprawling trees and branches throughout the facade, vignettes and animal character sculpts on both sides of the building as well as all of the artificial foliage throughout. Four key larger vignettes include Cave Rocks, a Beaver Dam, a Log Cabin, and a Tent Scene with faux ground and fire ring. Numerous hand-sculpted animal characters populate the facade, including a raccoon peeking out of a column wrap, whimsical clocks which feature a squirrel & owl at play, two hanging opossum, a large elk, a smaller elk, a family of raccoons on the owner provided blade sign, a bear in a tree hole, a bat, a trout roasting on a spit, campers feet protruding from the tent, a fox playing a banjo, a bear drinking from a jug, a canoe, a beaver, an eagle on a branch, a catfish, a small bear and a fishing bear in the canoe, a skunk in a cave, a bear with a pie and a baby bear and a picnic basket.
The Living Coast
The Brookfield Zoo
The Living Coast
The Brookfield Zoo
From the Open Ocean to Nearshore Waters and Rocky Shores, Brookfield Zoo’s The Living Coast tells the story of the interconnections in a biologically- rich environment.
ThemeWorks provided complete fabrication for this award-winning exhibit that is based upon the biologically rich coasts of Chile and Peru. ThemeWorks fabricated and installed 18,000 square feet (1,672 square meters) of highly durable and highly detailed artificial rockwork complete with encrusting fauna. The exhibit includes large aquariums, a central aviary with soaring cliffs, a vampire bat exhibit, invertebrate jewel tanks, and the popular Wave Crash. Careful planning and consultation with biologists and zoo staff ensured the creation of a safe and viable marine habitat for the animals that now inhabit the exhibit.
“In my 25 year career in exhibit design and construction, working with ThemeWorks on the Living Coast exhibit at Brookfield Zoo was my most rewarding and satisfying experience. Their talent, creativity, sense of design, and resourcefulness produced exhibits of great quality and exquisite detail. I am still immensely proud of the environment and experience we produced together!” -Rich Soderquist
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: The Living Coast
Designer: Mr. Mark Gabriel, Mark E. Gabriel Associates
Client: Chicago Zoological Society
Size: 18,000 square feet (1,672 m²) of rockwork in an approximately 22,000 square foot building
Photography: Don DuBroff
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks provided complete fabrication for this award-winning exhibit that is based upon the biologically rich coasts of Chili and Peru. Using Futura-Rock©, a high-tech urethane plastic rockwork system, ThemeWorks fabricated 18,000 square feet (1,672 m²) of highly durable, highly detailed artificial rockwork, along with artificial aquatic animals and exhibit casework. The exhibit included large aquariums, a central aviary with soaring cliffs, a vampire bat exhibit, invertebrate jewel tanks, and the popular Wave Crash. To ensure biological accuracy, ThemeWorks worked closely with the Chicago Zoological Society and Zoo staff, who contributed art direction, select animal models, murals, and graphics.
National Museum of the Marine Corps
National Museum of the Marine Corps
The National Museum of the Marine Corps stands as a testament to the illustrious history of the United States Marine Corps. The museum tells the story of the Marine Corps from its founding as the Continental Marines in 1775 through its nearly 250 history as the country’s fast responding expeditionary force.
From the amphibious landing of marines on the bloody beaches of Tarawa Atoll during World War II, to the brutal fight for survival in frozen mountains surrounding the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War, the museum’s large scale dioramas and immersive environments thrust visitors into the stories of courage, sacrifice, and perseverance that have become Marine Corps lore. With a matter-of-fact, unfiltered style typical of the Marine Corps, visitors are plunged into visceral experiences where they gain a better appreciation and understanding of Marine Corps culture and values.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: National Museum of the Marine Corps Exhibit Hall
Designer: Christopher Chadbourne & Associates, Inc.
Client: Design and Production, Inc.
Size: 70,000 sf (6,503 m²) of total exhibit space
Photography: Jay Rosenblatt
Scope of Work: As the Scenic Contractor to Prime Exhibit Contractor Design and Production, ThemeWorks was responsible for providing numerous dioramas complete with ground forms, artificial foliage, and themed structures, detailed scale models, themed flooring, scenic finishes on walls and vehicles, and several large-scale immersive environments.
ThemeWorks was contracted by Design and Production, Inc to provide all immersive environments, dioramas, and themed structures for the all new museum. ThemeWorks also provided props, detailed scale models, themed flooring, scenic wall treatments, and scenic weathering of vehicles.
From 1940’s sandbags, to 1950’s candy wrappers, and palm trees from the South Pacific, ThemeWorks researched and procured period and geographically accurate props and materials to create the level of detail and historical accuracy that is relished by history buffs and the most discerning of museum goers. The grand opening for this flagship museum of the United States Marine Corps was attended by dignitaries from around the world and included a ribbon cutting by the President of the United States.
Journey to Atlantis
SeaWorld Orlando
Journey to Atlantis
SeaWorld Orlando
A lavishly themed attraction based upon the fabled lost city, Journey to Atlantis rewards guests with a pulse-pounding flume/coaster ride and a scenically rich setting of vibrant colors and rich architecture.
ThemeWorks was contracted to provide complete theming for the Gift Shop and Aquarium Display buildings. Working from Suzanne Sessions, Inc. drawings, we created faux-marble fiberglass column wraps (enclosing structural steel columns), simulated stone trim around doors and aquariums, faux wood and bronze doors, bas-relief pediments and painted the entire exterior walls and trim with murals and scenic aging. Simulated ancient fresco murals were painted on every interior wall and the gift shop dome was painted with a french enamel process.
Journey to Atlantis won a THEA award for the best new themed attraction.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Journey to Atlantis
Designer: Suzanne Sessions, Inc.
Client: Suitt Construction Company
Size: 6 acres (2.4 ha)
Photography: LeGrand Photography
Scope of Work: > The venue immerses guests in a fantasy world of vibrant colors and visually rich textures inspired by ancient Greek and Minoan motifs. ThemeWorks fabricated and installed architectural elements including faux marble columns, carved stone pediments, and brass inlaid trim. On site work included sculpted plaster sea walls, scenic painting of the exterior and interior, frescos, and enamel painting on the domed ceiling. The project received a THEA award for Best New Themed Attraction, the industry’s highest honor. ThemeWorks created all interior theming including the faux marble columns, simulated stone door and aquarium surrounds, faux wood and bronze doors, interior fresco murals, interior trim, French enamel painted dome, and pediments. Exterior work included all EIFS trim, a fiberglass pediment, hand-carved cement plaster sea walls, exterior murals and scenic paint.
Saint John Paul II National Shrine
Saint John Paul II National Shrine
Producing the replicas of the Vatican’s Holy Doors for the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington DC was a true honor and privilege for ThemeWorks, Inc. In the Catholic faith, the doors symbolize the passage from sin to grace. Today, the Shrine explores the life of John Paul II from his birth in Poland to the beatification and canonization of this 20th century saint.
Utilizing digital scans created at the Vatican, ThemeWorks cast the doors in a durable faux bronze. Our artists slowly built up layers of patina to develop the depth and luster that characterize these touchstones of the Catholic faith.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Saint John Paul II National Shrine
Designer: Gallagher & Associates
Client: Design & Production, Inc.
Size: 16,000 square feet (1,486 m²) of exhibit space, Doors are 12' (3.66m) tall
Photography: Studio MCM and LeGrand Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks utilized digital scans of the actual doors in the Vatican to prepare a digital model. The doors, approximately 12' (3.66 m) in height, were digitally sculpted in wax, then touched up by our sculpting team. The replica doors were cast in faux bronze and finished with layers of patinas and wax to develop the depth and luster found on the actual doors.
Antarctica
SeaWorld Orlando
Antarctica
SeaWorld Orlando
When first introduced, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin in SeaWorld Orlando was the biggest and most expansive attraction in SeaWorld’s history. ThemeWorks contributed with the highly-detailed “Penguin Species of the World” where animal enthusiasts of all ages can see how they “measure-up” to the real-life sizes of penguins. Eighteen varieties of penguin species found in the southern hemisphere are lined up along the bottom of a rock-wall display in perfect posing positions for memory-making photo opportunities.
ThemeWorks was the Theming Contractor on the project, responsible for all exterior signage and graphics, scenic painting, props on both interior and exterior of the land (excluding the ride) as well as interpretive exhibits that educate visitors on research conducted in the Antarctic. You’d almost think the temperature is dropping to subzero levels as visitors work their way through props including expedition gear, snowmobiles, and even a SnowCat. Simulated ice signs throughout the exhibit are frosted and translucent blue, making even the warmest Florida days a bit chilly.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Antarctica, SeaWorld Orlando
Designer: Suzanne, Sessions, Inc., PGAV
Client: SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Size: 4 acres (1.6 ha)
Photography: LeGrand Photography
Scope of Work: ThemeWorks was responsible for the exterior and interior theming for the land, with the exception of the ride and land rockwork. Props included a Snow Cat, snowmobile, expedition gear and equipment cases, snow bikes, sleds, greenhouse, research station and restaurant props. Signs included operational, wait-time, directional and main identification character signs. Interactives included the penguin species bas-relief and immediate surrounding rockwork, weather interpretive, and ski interpretive. Scenic painting was provided on interior, exterior and prop surfaces.