Waterplay Gets Bigger in Texas

Waterparks have been making a splash in the amusement industry over the past decade. Today there are hundreds of waterparks across the country that attract visitors from around the world. With the improvement in safety features and the variety of play equipment now available, today's waterparks offer a multitude of fun under the sun.

Children of all ages are intuitively drawn to the excitement and spontaneity of water. Whether it's visiting a local swimming pool, vacationing at a water resort, or even turning on a backyard hose, people have always flocked to the sound of water. There is no better way to participate in a fun outdoor activity while simultaneously escaping the heat of the summer. When you add the elements of play to the scenario, the appeal of a waterpark becomes undeniable.

The focal point at the new Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark on South Padre Island is the Sand Castle which has more than 200 computerized water features. Each of the pails weighs about 2,500 pounds and dumps approximately 500 gallons of water. The five-story Sand Castle in Sand Castle Cove is made of hand-sculpted fibercrete molded over a steel frame.

A traditional playground features play equipment anchored by various types of surfacing, such as sand or rubberized safety material. A modern waterpark is patterned after a typical playground in the sense that both sites feature exciting and colorful play equipment. Yet, waterparks replace a large part of traditional surfacing with one simple ingredient...water. Plenty of water. In fact, the newly-opened Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark uses two million gallons of treated water to connect all of the elements in the park. The water takes on it's own character and becomes the primary vehicle for fun. In essence, the water becomes the biggest ride at the site.

The Schlitterbahn Experience

After years of planning and 9 months of construction, a new $13 million waterpark recently opened on South Padre Island. Located on the south most part of Texas, Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark is a 26-acre site with a Brazilian beach theme and a unique mix of attractions. Owned and operated by the Henry family, the park has many of the same features as the original, 65-acre Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort in New Braunfels, Texas, which opened in 1979 and attracted more than 900,000 visitors last season alone.

"The new waterpark has some of the same distinctions that have made our New Braunfels park a Texas favorite," said Jeff Henry, founder and chief executive officer of NBGS International, Inc., which designed and built the new facility. "It is a family-oriented destination with state-of-the-art attractions located in a natural, waterfront environment." Henry directed the park's design and construction, and will also oversee the operation of the site. Although similar features exist at both locations, Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark has a distinct Brazilian beach theme complete with thatched-roof, palapa-style buildings, hundreds of transported palm trees, Latin music and Brazilian food specialities. Surrounded by a shopping and entertainment complex called Rio Village, the new waterpark was designed around nearly four acres of protected wetlands located on property leased from Cameron County, which will receive five percent of revenues generated from the waterpark. Containing 15 acres of waterpark and approximately seven acres of parking, the site will be open from May until October.

Equipped with more than a dozen slides and attractions, the waterpark has a five-story sand castle as it's focal point. The hand-sculpted fibercrete castle contains six turrets connected by ramps, stairs and netclimbs, with four slides for exiting. In addition to the castle, the new park contains a large bodyboarding ride where guests can enjoy man-made waves, along with an activity pool and a variety of ride experiences. The design also includes Master Blaster® technology which allowed designers to create rides without constructing obtrusive tall towers, an original concern of the community.

Waterplay Comes of Age

In addition to the sand castle, the first thing that guests will see when they enter the park is the giant thatched-roof shade structures with unique roof lines. At that point, guests are immediately transported into the park’s festive atmosphere and unique motif.

The location of the waterpark provided a lot of the inspiration for the design. "Having the sandy dunes on the background, and the green native grasses of the wetlands literally invading the site, our job was basically to be consistent with the site and create an atmosphere of a tropical beach resort," said Alex Silva, Landscape Architect at NBGS International, a company also owned by the Henry family. "Most guests won’t even notice, but every building and ride location has a reason to be there. Planters, bridges, lounging decks, flowerbeds and shade structures were all designed to draw people into desired areas, as well as keep them away from restricted areas."

In addition to all of the visual splendor, the site features the newest in ride technology. Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark contains what designers call the world's first "Transportainment™" river system which uses water to transport guests around the park. The system is designed to combine the elements of transportation, sport and entertainment. At approximately one half-mile long, the river, called the Rio Aventura, incorporates different levels of water movement that create a river network linking various pools and channels. As they float through different elevation changes, riders are moved from one spot to another via the sport of tubing.

"The thing that separates this particular waterpark from other locations is that the river flows by gravity," said Stephen Hanz, Project Designer and Project Coordinator for NBGS International. "In this case, we had to use open channel hydraulic models to predict and design the river to behave and interact with guests in the way we anticipated." Hanz explained that most rivers in the waterpark industry are still waters moved by mechanical force. "With this new waterpark, the water is pumped up to the top of the hill, and it flows by gravity back to the bottom. In between, we vary the open channel hydraulics so that we get a variety of different speeds of water to enjoy." One of the goals of this newly-developed ride is to minimize the time visitors spend waiting in lines. "Guests never have to get out of their tube. They can travel right around the river, go to the bottom, travel right up to the top and just keep going," Hanz said.

Designing with Water

In order to participate in the increasing number of waterpark designs developing across the country, Landscape Architects will need to become more knowledgeable when designing for these types of applications. "Designers must understand the mechanics of each ride in order to locate them properly throughout the park, keeping in mind safety and accessibility issues," Silva said.

In addition, Landscape Architects will need to understand that flexibility is an important part of the process. "The fact that the Transportainment river system was still being developed made it even more challenging," Silva said. "Not only for me, but also for an entire team of engineers and technicians. The challenge was to develop a set of working drawings that would be flexible enough to accept constant improvements as the design went on." Having the ability to deal with changes is a necessary component for developing a cohesive plan.

At approximately one half-mile long, the Rio Aventura river pumps about 100,000 gallons of water per minute and incorporates different levels of water movement.

As with all applications, safety and accessibility are important considerations, as well as local climate issues such as the intense sun and heat of the region. "Perhaps the most difficult task was to insert this entirely new waterpark concept on a stretch of land that presented us with a series challenges," said Silva. "We had wetlands to avoid on one side, protected dunes on the other side, and a water table at two feet below ground in certain areas," said Silva. "Local conditions play an essential role when designing a waterpark."

Dealing with issues in weather, sun and wind orientation is a constantly changing science. All of these elements can ultimately direct some aspects of the design. At the new waterpark, the placement of various features depended directly on the natural conditions of the site. One example of this concerned the positioning of the largest shade structure at the waterpark. "By positioning the Palapa Grande to catch the prevailing winds from the Gulf of Mexico, the team was able to maximize the cooling effect of the structure’s design," Silva said. "The breeze helps to drive hot air up and out through vents in the roof."

As they float through various elevation changes, riders are moved from one spot to another via the sport of tubing.

Weather was also a factor in the selection of the paving material. "We used light-colored stone imported from a quarry in Brazil for most of the walkways," Silva said. "It has a soft texture which makes it less slippery and it does not retain the heat, so it is gentle on bare feet. And because it does not reflect light, it minimizes glare in the park." If the current explosion of waterparks across the country continues, Landscape Architects will need to understand all of the elements of weather and site conditions in order to create appropriate designs for this type of application.

For those who worked on the Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark, turning a truly artistic vision into a functional reality was a rewarding challenge. "It was like solving a puzzle. It took the effort of a whole team of professionals," Silva said. In fact, the challenges encountered during the design process ended up benefiting the overall look of the waterpark. "Ironically, the problems helped us be more creative with the design."