Eddie Sotto wears many feathers in his design cap. As part of his role at Walt Disney, the American experiential designer, mixed-media producer and conceptualist led the development of Mission: Space at the science-themed Epcot park in Orlando, as well as Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, the world's first trackless theme park ride that opened at Tokyo Disneyland in 2000.
Closer to home, Sotto has worked with Dubai’s Global Village, the seasonal open-air attraction that showcases countries by way of elaborate pavilions. What started in a car park in 1996 has exponentially grown and moved to its current location – along Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road – in 2005.
“We built the presentation and focused on visualising some of the central areas including the restaurants and transport systems for Global Village,” says Sotto, who was brought on board by American agency Colab Architecture + Urban Design, which also developed masterplans for Saadiyat Island marina, Dubai Creek waterfront and Mina Seyahi.
Sotto says he drew up a blueprint for Global Village in the image of World Showcase, a permanent world fair he worked on at Epcot. “It began with brainstorming meetings for the master layout, look and feel, and even the restaurants in the centre area of the hub. The master plan was a combination of the World Showcase of Epcot and the organising principles of a Disneyland.”
While Global Village was Sotto’s first exposure to the Middle East, he has bigger plans for the region – notably the desire to bring to life a groundbreaking conceptual design called Thrillboard.
An ingenious combination of a billboard, an observation tower and a roller coaster, Thrillboard is a 76.2-metre-tall tower clad in LED screens. The ride is a blend of roller coaster and Ferris wheel.
Renderings show orb-shaped ride cars with eight seats inside and a viewing window that opens like a helmet visor. Passengers will board the ride in the tower's basement and, after being strapped into the seats, begin their zippy ascent inside the tower.
experiential designer and conceptualist
When riders reach the top, they get a panoramic view of the city through the capsule window, which can also open, weather permitting. After dangling briefly at this observation spot, riders experience a short, stomach-tingling drop, followed by a smooth descent along a track weaving around the outside of the tower, which culminates in another drop.
“The drops will be small but fun and not too scary as that would limit ridership. This has a family audience,” explains Sotto.
Meanwhile, the footage on the LED screens – the tower's billboard element – interacts with the ride cars as they pass, making the tower look like a giant pinball machine from a distance.
The designer, who founded California-based design agency Sotto Studios, says: “Thrillboard would be an eye-catching landmark in any major metropolis, but I think it would be particularly well-suited to vibrant cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Riyadh because they are constantly redefining architecture.” It is perhaps why initial renderings show a Burj Khalifa-style tower in the background.
“It is time to reimagine what the observation experience could be in big cities,” adds Sotto. “To me, the future belongs to new architectural icons that are as alive as the cities they represent and look different every time you see them.”
Before starting his agency in 2004, Sotto spent 13 years at Disney, rising through its ranks to become senior vice president of concept design in the Imagineering division, named to reflect its imaginative use of engineering. He has since worked with luxury brands such as Ferrari, Porsche, Wynn Resorts and Kerzner, the resort operator that owns Atlantis The Palm and Atlantis The Royal.
Sotto cites Global Village as the prime example of his ability to bring “the best of architecture and the best of theme park experience to a project, and Thrillboard takes this to a new level”, he says. “The innovative thing about it is that the media on the skin of the structure syncs with the onboard audio and reacts to the movement of the vehicles. As such, it's a piece of ever-changing kinetic art that you ride in and influence.”
From a commercial point of view, the designer says “the ride car can become part of the branding”. Sweeping views and a rollercoaster ride aside, the audio and screens worked into Thrillboard tower’s dynamic and ever-changing exterior tell a story that can be developed with each storey. This can help make a sponsor brand’s tailored message even more memorable.
“Unlike a billboard, it has a direct return on investment as you charge for the ride and exit in the brand’s gift shop,” explains Sotto. With an estimated hourly capacity of up to 1,000 riders, it also would not take long to cover the construction cost, which is in the eight-figure range, he reveals.
While Sotto’s talks in the Middle East are covered by non-disclosure agreements, he is confident that Thrillboard would best suit the skyline of a country like the UAE, given the popularity of its skyscrapers and observation towers. The end game, he says, is to “raise the game by being interactive and give new meaning to the phrase 'putting you in the picture’”.
