A look into sustainable practices for Sea World

Abstract

AIM: Sea World has invited Griffith University Architecture to consult on the sustainable practices of their park and specifically the Phase One of their new ride precinct, New Atlantis. The new precinct includes landscaping and three amusement rides: Vortex, Leviathan and Trident. Sea World is a theme park based on marine mammals, featuring animal exhibits and providing rides and other attractions. Sea World Research & Rescue Foundation also contributes to marine conservation and rehabilitation. LIMITATIONS: This proposal is based on the documents kindly provided, one site visit and interviews with staff, beside previously undertaken visits as guests. However, as a student work, this report does not accept liability for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions. Usually, a sustainable assessment would address the social, economic and environmental aspects of one area. Yet due to the time constraint and very specific nature and function of the park, only some features of the environmental component were addressed. This is a clear limitation and a more extensive study, based on collected data, would provide a deeper insight into the assessment. This report investigates the potential for enhancing sustainable practices at Sea World under the context of the construction of its new precinct, New Atlantis. It is divided into three main sections that are Assessment, Precedents and Proposals. Due to the very specific nature and function of the park, six categories were selected for the assessment: reducing heat gain, diversity in energy sources, waste management, acoustic issues, crowd management and effective use of old infrastructure. It was analysed that each category is currently under-exploited, but also presents opportunities for enhancement. The Precedents section shows that many best-practices and innovative products are already available on the market, thus facilitating a sustainability strategy. Proposals also demonstrate that small-scale and larger scale projects can provide increased sustainability, at different costs but also different timeframes.