SHANGHAI (November 6, 2017) – Since the grand opening last year, millions of guests from home and abroad have already enjoyed the world-class attractions at Shanghai Disney Resort, and appreciated the immersive environment that the resort has created. In recognition of its outstanding engineering, exquisite project design and planning, its superior construction technology, its goal to provide a magical and seamless experience for Chinese guests, Shanghai Disney Resort was awarded the 2016-2017 China Construction Engineering Luban Prize, the highest honor for engineering quality in China’s construction industry.
“Our goal from day one was to create an authentically Disney, distinctly Chinese destination for the people of China,” said Howard Brown, general manager and regional executive, Walt Disney Imagineering Asia. “Over the course of five years, Disney Imagineers led more than 100,000 construction workers, engineers, artisans and other professionals from across China and around the world to build a magical, immersive entertainment experience that only Disney can deliver, creating a world-class resort that marked a key milestone in the development of Shanghai’s tourism industry.”
Throughout the construction stage from 2011 to 2016, the Walt Disney Imagineering Shanghai team worked collaboratively with Chinese contactors to bring new design and construction techniques to the design and construction of this world-class destination. The Disney team worked with a group of leading Chinese construction general contractors to manage each discipline and phase of resort construction, creating a unique partnership of Disney global standards with local expertise and resources. As part of this collaboration, the Disney team introduced new skills and practice techniques to the construction industry to foster local expertise in leading global construction standards and practices.
In addition to its rigorous construction quality standards, Shanghai Disney Resort also integrated innovative technologies and green concepts throughout the entire project. The novel application of building information modeling (BIM) and digital immersive showroom (DISH) technology in the project’s development stage, as well as the adoption of environmentally friendly and energy-efficient technologies across the planning and construction processes, demonstrate Shanghai Disney Resort’s leading standards and industry advancements in China and around the world.
The China Construction Engineering Luban Prize is known as the “Oscars” for the construction industry in China. Jointly created 30 years ago by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the China Construction Industry Association, this prize has become the most coveted honor in the industry. The Luban Prize has rigorous application, evaluation and screening processes, and ultimately the winners represent an elite selection among similar construction projects from across the entire country.
The construction and development of Shanghai Disney Resort has been recognized with multiple awards and honors in addition to the China Construction Engineering Luban Prize, including the Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for the successful adoption of BIM, and Three-Star and Two-Star awards, respectively, for the Team Disney Building and the Toy Story Hotel from the Green Building Evaluation Label (GBEL).
About Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a facility, a tool that uses a real-time testing and feedback cycle that helped Disney teams meet the unique challenges in realizing highly complex structures and attractions. BIM technology was used for Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure and Enchanted Storybook Castle, as two examples. Recognizing these efforts, the American Institute of Architects presented its prestigious Technology in Architectural Practice Award to the team for its use of BIM in the creation of Enchanted Storybook Castle.
About the Digital Immersive Showroom (DISH)
The Digital Immersive Showroom (DISH) is an immersive design tool used by Disney Imagineers when pre-visualizing a new theme park, land, attraction or other physical location. Using a head-mounted motion capture device to track a user’s location along with 3D stereo glasses, an Imagineer is able to walk through a computer simulation of a space and see a particular area from all angles. The DISH is linked between project sites such as the Walt Disney Imagineering campus in California and the Walt Disney Imagineering Shanghai team office so that designers can virtually review and ride an attraction before ground is broken. This saves valuable time and resources during construction. The DISH uses high-end, real time graphics computers, 3D stereoscopic projection, and an optical motion capture system. Shanghai Disneyland projects that utilized the DISH include Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, Enchanted Storybook Castle and Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue.