Legends of Aqua, the first phase of Rixos Hotels’ 639,000-square-meter Land of Legends Theme Park, is now open, and guests have already dubbed it a “world class destination.”
Land of Legends Theme Park is the result of an international collaboration between Rixos World Parks & Entertainment (Serik, Turkey), Emaar Real Estate (Dubai, U.A.E.) and global cultural creativity brand Dragone Productions (La Louvière, Belgium). JRA (Jack Rouse Associates – Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) developed specialized zones for the water park and oversaw its master planning, concept and schematic design. Polin Waterparks (Dilovasi, Turkey) delivered a wide assortment of slides for the water park, as well as a water playground, a spray zone, wave and river systems, a SurfStream®, a Wave Ball and an entire hydro-mechanical system, including water circulation and filtration.
A world-class destination
The US$1 billion Land of Legends resort — designed with a Roman Empire/Greek Poseidon theme — takes its aesthetic cues from its picturesque setting between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. The resort combines not only entertainment and adventure, but also education, nature, retail, luxury housing and theater to create a diverse attraction mix. Covering 639,000 square meters (6,878,139 square feet), Land of Legends includes a 196,000-square-meter (2,109,726-square-feet) shopping boulevard; a luxurious 17,000-square-meter (182,986-square-foot) five-star hotel; a 146,000-square-meter (1,571,531-square-feet) wildlife park; and a viewing terrace that reaches 111 meters (364 feet) in height. When fully completed, Land of Legends will also include a 340,943-square-meter (3.7 million-square-foot) theme park, master planned and designed by JRA.
A signature water park for the whole family
The 280,000-square-meter (3 million-square-foot) water park, with a giant wave pool at its center, plays a featured role at the resort. The park also features an aquarium, a dolphinarium, a 5D cinema, a glass-walled restaurant and over 72 aquatic slides and attractions provided by Polin. The water slides offer fun for the thrill seeker as well as the thrill averse, and include “The Magicone” – the region’s first funnel slide, “SurfStream®” – the region’s first standing wave-surfing machine, a looping slide, high-speed slides, family rafting slides and a lazy-crazy river. The park also features kids attractions and a ladies-only area, making Legends of Aqua at Land of Legends truly a destination for all.
"Our client group was always gracious and hospitable, but more importantly, they became friends to all of us here at JRA," said Randy Smith, JRA Senior Project Director. "It is extremely satisfying to see a project come to fruition, open with vitality, and operate smoothly. We are proud to have played such an integral part from the beginning."
Dr. Kubilay Alpdogan, the Director of Sales and Design for Polin Waterparks, says Polin considers the project to be a pinnacle of its achievements for 2016. “No other waterpark has been built to rival Land of Legends — at least not in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region of the world,” said Alpdogan. “It’s truly a new opportunity for families to enjoy time together.”
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About JRA
JRA plans, designs and realizes exceptional visitor experiences for entertainment, cultural, sport and corporate clients around the world. In recent years, JRA has provided design and project management services for such attractions as Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Ripley’s Believe it or Not! London, Ocean Park Hong Kong, LEGOLAND Windsor, LEGOLAND California, Universal Orlando and Six Flags Parks. Current projects include the Crystal Lagoon Water Theme Park, the National Comedy Center, Space Center Houston, and Science Centre Singapore. For more information on JRA, please visit www.jackrouse.com, Jack Rouse Associates on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and @JRAtweets on Twitter.
About Polin Waterparks
Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976 and has since grown into a leading company in the waterparks industry. Today, Polin is a world leader in the design, production and installation of waterparks, waterslides and water-play attractions. Polin has completed 2,500 waterpark projects in 100 countries around the world and is the biggest waterslide supplier in Eurasia. Working with a wide variety of clients has helped Polin reach several milestones, including installing the first waterparks in many countries and many other award-winning rides at parks with world-renowned reputations.
Polin offers the industry’s widest range of products, including signature rides such as the patented King Cobra, Magic Spheres, Spheres, Magi Cone and Space Shuttle and is the pioneer in the advancement and application of closed-molded manufacturing technology in waterslide development. The company oversees a high-capacity design-and-manufacturing facility in Turkey with a team that totals 500 people with five offices throughout the world. Please visit Polin at www.polin.com.tr for product information, news, events and other updates.