Customer
Founded by Walt Disney in 1952, Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) is the creative arm of the Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks worldwide. WDI is headquartered in Glendale, CA, and is composed of “Imagineers,” – a group of illustrators, architects, engineers, lighting designers, show writers and graphics designers. Globally, WDI employs over 2,300 Imagineers.
Project Summary
The new EPCOT nighttime spectacular, “Harmonious,” is a tribute to the power of story and song that unite, leveraging music and visuals from across Disney and artists around the world. This project comprised of construction of the barge infrastructure and equipment installation that produces all the visual effects, including lighting, animation projection, pyrotechnics, and water curtains. Miles of cabling needed to be installed and, due to the use of explosives on board, every metal object on each barge required bonding to prevent any stray voltage from potentially causing injury to anyone or indirectly via an explosive event. WDI was working with a very tight schedule and needed a company that could take on the critical bonding scope of the work. They required more than 5,000 bonding connections across seven entertainment barges without adding extra time to the construction schedule.
Sciens Scope
Sciens proposed using stud welding versus the specified drill-and-tap method in the installation of the bonding bolts that would need to be installed throughout the barge structures. The studs were matched to the different metals used in construction of the barges, such as iron, steel, and aluminum. This alternate method of installation saved nearly 50 percent of the original labor hours estimated for the bonding and resulted in no significant impact to the project schedule. Our team’s technical knowledge and vast experience in electrical construction – grounding and bonding in particular – made us a valuable resource to WDI during the course of this project.
Outcome
The result was the installation of a complete and reliable electrical bonding system creating a safe environment for a set of very unique structures. The central platform, comprised of three barges, holds an impressive six-story-tall ring structure that will be the centerpiece of this new show on the World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT. This is a show on a scale unlike anything ever achieved before. This centerpiece ring will support a high-density water curtain, moving lights, and fountains in a circular form that will symbolize EPCOT’s story of global connection through the reach of Disney music for all guests to enjoy while visiting the theme park. As a result of our excellent work on this project and our recent qualification as a life safety provider to Disney, we were recently awarded our first fire alarm project at Walt Disney World Resort and look forward to many more opportunities in the future.