January 2010 Newsletter - 12 January 10
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Merry Christmas Holiday to all. - 23 December 09
ADE, would like to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of our Development Partners this season.
It has been a wonderful 2009, and we are looking forward to a great 2010.
Mina Al Arab British Hotel Ras Al Khaimah - 29 April 09
ADE is pleased to announce that it's venture to complete the Water Feature / Amenities design of the much anticipated Mina Al Arab British Hotel is finally near. ADE worked among some of the most talented designers to create a themed hotel with lots of water appeal. Some of the amenities will include 2 large Pools with Slides, Interactive Water Features, Swim-up Bars, various Spas, Wet decks, and some large fountains including a Theatrical Fountain on the beach for nightly shows. "Ras Al Khaimah is one of my favorite Emirates in UAE", replies Vice President Jonah Martin, "the mountains actually get snow in the winter times making this emirate a true one-of-a-kind middle east destination".
Mina Al Arab will feature numerous resort hotels, an Arabian Adventures theme park, a Thalasso Therapy center, a small water park, a marina, a heritage village and two eco-friendly hotels. The project will also contain a cluster of 3,500 residential units and 388 residential villas of various architectural styles.
ADE News - 12 December 08
ADE is pleased to announce that it's Middle East Regional Director, Brant Quinton and his team, placed in second at the Dubai Masters that was held this week by posting a 65 in the final round of this well known annual tournament. "I tell you what, when I was asked to play in this tournament I had no idea that it would be so competitive" replies Brant. "These European women golfers can sure hit the ball a long way, I saw Annika Sorenstam hit a drive longer than most men I play with". Sorenstam, the winner of the first two editions, will be aiming for a hat-trick of titles to end her career on a high. The first player in the history of the game to cross the $22 million mark in earnings, Sorenstam has 89 professional victories, including 10 majors, in a glittering career spanning over 15 years
The Palmyra Resort - Jamaica - 01 November 08
Aquatic Design and Engineering, Inc. is proud to announce the completion of the engineering design and delivery of construction documents for the pools, spas, and water features of the internationally acclaimed Palmyra Resort & Spa, Montego Bay, Jamaica. The Palmyra Resort & Spa is located in the prestigious Rose Hall and surrounded by three championship golf courses. The natural beauty of this 16-acre Caribbean paradise is the perfect setting for unparalleled indulgence in a quaint village setting.
The Palmyra Resort & Spa is in the final stages of construction and promises to be a world-class destination as the first luxury beachfront condo-hotel in Jamaica. ADE’s responsibilities included the engineering of the clubhouse porte-cochère water feature, main entry water feature, spa building lily pond fountain, children’s aqua play structure, decorative fountains, penthouse Jacuzzis, large clubhouse spa with therapy nozzles, and the clubhouse pool with vanishing edge, waterfall, deck jets, and submerged sun shelf.
The philosophy of ADE is to “clearly understand the objectives” in a complex project, knowing this is one of the most important factors affecting the degree and quality of ultimate success. The ADE team shares and encourages the passion and vision of their clients through an exceptional and comprehensive understanding of the design intent of every project. “It’s always fun to be challenged in your job. While Palmyra wasn’t our largest or most complicated project, it certainly presented us with some really progressive systems to design. And the results should be spectacular,” said Matt Johnston, ADE’s Project Manager on The Palmyra Resort & Spa.
Jangsu Country Club - Seoul, South Korea - 09 October 08
Seoul, Korea—October 1st, 2008. In a land of beautiful lush forest, heavy vegetation, and large rolling green hills and mountains, South Korea is becoming known as one of the next “great” places to visit. Aquatic Design & Engineering, Inc. was chosen to be the lead water feature consultant for the soon-to-be-famous Jangsu Country Club. This club will be only for a certain class of wealthy Korean businessmen to live and play in a private setting featuring a one-of-a-kind golf course designed by Jim Engh. ADE’s scope includes large, tranquil arrival fountains along with a private pool that overlooks the scenic course of Jangsu. A large natural rock waterfall also designed by ADE moves “high quality water” into a man-made golf course pond which in turn flows through course water features. Some of the features include large fountains designed to shoot water in an array of different heights creating a show for guests in the club restaurant as they dine. “The Jangsu Country Club will be a one-of-a-kind experience for the lucky members,” replies Bob Barkus of ADE. “The client wanted us to use the natural drainage of the course and to integrate that water into various water features. We always try to focus our design intent around Leed certification, but this project took that focus to a higher level.”
The vision of Jangsu Country Club comes from EDSA, one of the world’s leading landscape architectural groups.
Royal Island, North Eleuthera, Bahamas - 21 August 08
Orlando, FL—August 1st, 2008. Hidden from the outside world, Royal Island will be a sanctuary unlike any other – a private residential and resort community offering unprecedented amenities from award-winning restaurants and luxurious accommodations to world-class golf and 24-hour concierge services. Blessed with clear, blue waters, breathtaking sunsets, fine beaches, and miles of coastline, the allure of Royal Island will only be matched by its exclusiveness. This is the perfect escape.
ADE was chosen to be the lead aquatic designer for all water amenities including the soon-to-be-famous “beach club pool” which entails a detailed design allure. ADE collaborated with EDSA’s “Paul Kissinger Studio” and SB architects to bring the conceptual designs produced to reality. When asked about the technicalities faced in producing water features and contemporary design pool shapes, ADE’s Project Manager Matt Johnston replies, “I have faith that Royal Island will be a great success to not only the Bahamian community but to the lucky residents and hotel visitors getting a chance to experience such a marvel.”
The vision of Royal Island comes from Cypress Equities, one of the nation’s leading real estate developers and acquisition firms.
Kessler again calls on Aquatic Design and Engineering - 01 July 08
ADE has engineered the above-grade pools for the Orlando and St. Petersburg Grand Bohemian Hotels, as well as the ground-level pools for The Doubletree Castle in Orlando and The Mansion on Forsyth Park Hotel in Savannah.
Orlando, FL—July 1, 2008. Richard C. Kessler’s collection of exceptional boutique and luxury hotels represents a genuine desire to offer the best of everything to the discriminating traveler. It is Aquatic Design and Engineering’s great honor to be awarded the responsibility of designing another above-grade luxury pool for this esteemed hotelier. Similar in scope and design to the Orlando and St. Petersburg above-grade pools, the Atlanta Grand Bohemian will incorporate stylish design and robust engineering to ensure the quality demanded by the Kessler organization.
The relationship between The Kessler Enterprise, Inc. and Aquatic Design and Engineering began with the first hotel of the collection, The Doubletree Castle on International Drive in Orlando, Florida, built in 1994. Since then, ADE is proud to have worked on three other Kessler Collection hotels, in addition to the Atlanta Grand Bohemian.
Al Raha Airport and Al Raha Gardens Town Center - 05 June 08
Orlando, FL—June 5th, 2008. Aquatic Design and Engineering Finishes Work on Al Raha Airport and Al Raha Gardens Town Center, part of the Al Raha Beach Development in Abu Dhabi, UAE. One of Aldar’s most prestigious projects. Abu Dhabi’s newly created mixed-use community, Al Raha Beach, uses landscapes and flowing water to create a peaceful residential oasis with the convenience of retail, dining, commerce and transportation. ADE was contracted by EDAW/AECOM to design and engineer the water features for both the town center and airport open spaces. From misting trellises to strategically placed water features employed to help moderate the hot climate, this project incorporates the full spectrum of ADE’s expertise. When asked about the project, Julia Ling, ADE’s Project Manager for Al Raha said, “It is exciting to ‘step outside of the box’ to provide water features that are designed to be an integral part of a lush garden sanctuary experience. Our ambition was to create a seamless blend of water and organic spaces by designing features and pools that create inviting and serene areas, and I think the outcome is going to be brilliant.”
Al Raha Beach will be among the first developments where a UAE National is offered ownership of property in Abu Dhabi. This 665,000 square-meter all-inclusive community incorporates villas, townhomes, two prestigious schools, a child care facility, and commercial development of retail and dining establishments. The villas have reportedly sold out in pre-sales activities.
The Woodlands Waterway Square - 21 May 08
We at ADE are pleased to announce the completion of the new Waterway Square and musical fountains in Downtown The Woodlands Texas.
Waterway Square is a major urban park located just east of the AAA Four Diamond The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center on The Woodlands Waterway® in The Woodlands Town Center, the “downtown” of The Woodlands 28,000-acre master-planned community. Waterway Square is an initiative of The Woodlands Development Company, The Woodlands Township, and The Woodlands Town Center Owners Association.
The newly complete one-acre public plaza with two ADE designed, and engineered unique water features opened officially to the public on April 12, 2008. Park designers, Sasaki and Associates of Boston MA, took advantage of the site’s terraced topography to encapsulate the intimate park setting.
The square is flanked by stairs and stepped water cascades measuring 120 feet long and 10 feet high. The water wall flows down to a long pool with convenient bench seating for observers to be near the water. The upper area of the park has multiple sequenced jets and operates to music on a rotating schedule. Three songs are currently programmed into the repertoire with another five planned for early June. The lighting system installed is state of the art, utilizing low-voltage colored LED lights that produce over 15 million colors. The water feature is designed to reach a height of 75 feet. In addition to the main choreographed show feature, a children’s interactive fountain with fanciful mosaic artwork by renowned artist Dixie Friend Gay is central to the lower plaza area.
ADE designed the aquatics, hydraulics, control systems, lighting systems, and audio systems for this world-class project, adding to a long list of successful music-integrated water features around the globe
The Waterway Square District encompasses the office buildings, shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, green spaces, and urban residences within the area bordered by Lake Robbins Drive on the north, Woodlands Parkway on the south, Six Pines Drive to the west, and Woodloch Forest Drive to the east.
The Fountains Resort - Wakoola Springs - 12 March 08
Orlando, FL—March 1, 2008. Aquatic Design and Engineering, Inc. is proud to announce the opening at The Fountains Resort of its new Wakoola Springs—a 75,000 sq/ft pool area that includes a 20,000 sq/ft pool, two spas, and a children’s interactive water play area set within the 54-acre resort on International Drive in Orlando. ADE collaborated with Weller Pools of Orlando to bring this contemporary, extremely functional design to life. Jonathan Toavs, Vice President at ADE and Project Manager of The Fountains, when asked about the project said, “Having worked on the first phase amenity design 11 years ago, it is exciting to see the progress and expansion of the The Fountains and the addition of this new amenity area for Bluegreen Resorts.”
With the addition of Wakoola Springs, The Fountains has positioned itself to compete well in the busy Orlando tourist corridor. The Fountains offers everything you would expect from a world-class resort as well as the convenience of a central location. Wakoola Springs includes a monster 20,000 sq/ft pool that contains a children’s interactive water play area with zero-depth (beach) entry and a double water slide. Additionally, there are two large spas adjacent to the pool and an interactive water feature set within a striking circle of Roman columns. ADE has consulted or led the engineering and design on a great number of the Orlando resort community’s water features, pools, and spas.
ADE Looks to 2008 - 07 January 08
As the books closed for 2007, it was apparent ADE has enjoyed a successful year. ADE completed the City of Dreams project in Macau, China, a “must-see integrated entertainment resort” that consists of “…a 420,000-square-foot casino…the luxury premium Crown Towers, the ultimate themed Hard Rock Hotel and the twin-tower Grand Hyatt Hotel.” It exemplified the level of work into which ADE has evolved over the last twenty years of world-class aquatic engineering and design services. City of Dreams required a design effort which included monthly design coordination meetings in Hong Kong and Macau, and nine months to bring the project to completed Construction Documentation. This year we have work scheduled around the globe and we expect continued professional growth.
Ken Martin, the Principal of ADE, when asked about plans for 2008 remarked, “We are now up to 20 employees and expect to hire more as business dictates. 2008 will be a year of significant growth for our company as we expand our reach to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. ADE is poised to double in size this year. That will certainly present challenges, but I’ve put a fantastic team together and we’re ready to meet those challenges!”
Design efforts are already scheduled in the United States, The Bahamas, Asia, and the Middle East. These projects involve everything from Water Parks, Water Features, Resort Complexes, and Animal Habitats. ADE is destined to have an exciting 2008. Our progress has been an evolution realized over two decades of hard-won successes and, as with all good things in life, ADE is well aware there are no shortcuts.
