Development of the Voletarium

At the beginning there is inspiration and a lot of research. A whole range of different artistic impressions grow into ideas and we are allowed to dream. The beautiful buildings and surroundings create a special atmosphere. The details on the buildings are telling a story. When the creative visionaries at MACK Solutions, Europa-Park’s design department, begin a project they first study and research massive amounts of references. Such can be architectural drawings, photos, films and even location scouts.

The design of the attraction building aimed to be modelled on a large, historic and European city building, which would also have an imposing effect and shape the overall image. Buildings like the town halls in Manchester and Bremen or the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam were a significant inspiration.
The general aim of the research is to obtain as many impressions as possible and to develop new ideas. It also serves to create a database of references, which later helps to communicate ideas better.

After all the research is done our design team members begin dreaming up their own buildings. In this phase there are no limits. The goal is to get many different ideas on paper, to find the best ideas and to shape them into a clear and focused design intention that everybody can agree to.

Many existing styles are mixed and matched to create a new yet recognisable architectural style.

Not only the design, but also the atmosphere, the living space that the buildings create, is visualised by MACK Solutions. Specially created mood drawings, so-called 'moods', help to develop a feel for the project.

Early design illustrations depict a town hall for the main building, an idea that was later abandoned in favor of the Voletarium institut. Close-up sketches are rendered for getting a better feeling of the environments. Specific questions such as “where can you purchase tickets?” or general questions as “will the idea hold up in detail?” are answered. No matter how outrageous an idea, in this phase everything is allowed. Sketching a blueprint and planning the layout is also essential to this phase. This creates an overview of the space and helps identify all the different areas for designing.

Now that a design has been agreed upon, the designers at MACK Solutions furnish final detailed drawings with accurate measurements that serve as templates for construction.

The building for the flying theater is not only beautiful but also one of Europa-Parks largest show buildings. At 15 meters height and 62 meters length it elegantly houses the attractions two giant, dome-shaped cinemas.

Now engineers come into the process, calculate weight, wind resistance, material durability, how many tons of concrete are needed, how long it will take to build, how much it will cost.

When all the requirements are implemented a blue print for the builders is created and construction can begin.

Buildings are rendered from every direction, construction and safety codes are applied. In this phase all final design choices are made, every detail is illustrated. Floor plans show the layouts and floor designs.

In addition to looking beautiful an attraction building must fulfil countless requirements. Things such as exits, toilets, air conditioning, heating, lighting, power, fire department codes, safety codes and acoustics must be considered and planned.

The famous quote not only applies to real estate but also to the making of a “fly-over” film. Many different locations from all across Europe were considered for filming until 14 destinations were decided upon. The final selection was based on accessibility, safety and variance.

Previs means pre-visualization, a process used to digitally make a demo of the film to see what works and what doesn’t.
The entire film “Flying over Europe” was first created digitally and tested until every shot was agreed upon.

Shooting a “Fly-over” film is technically very challenging. Several cameras must be mounted together to create an image large enough for projection.

During filming, drones were the preferred method when the camera had to fly close to objects or close above the ground.