Eddie Sotto wears many feathers in his design cap. As part of his role at Walt Disney, the American experiential designer, mixed-media producer and conceptualist led the development of Mission: Space at the science-themed Epcot park in Orlando, as well as Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, the world's first trackless theme park ride that opened at Tokyo Disneyland in 2000.
Closer to home, Sotto has worked with Dubai’s Global Village, the seasonal open-air attraction that showcases countries by way of elaborate pavilions. What started in a car park in 1996 has exponentially grown and moved to its current location – along Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road – in 2005.
“We built the presentation and focused on visualising some of the central areas including the restaurants and transport systems for Global Village,” says Sotto, who was brought on board by American agency Colab Architecture + Urban Design, which also developed masterplans for Saadiyat Island marina, Dubai Creek waterfront and Mina Seyahi.
Sotto says he drew up a blueprint for Global Village in the image of World Showcase, a permanent world fair he worked on at Epcot. “It began with brainstorming meetings for the master layout, look and feel, and even the restaurants in the centre area of the hub. The master plan was a combination of the World Showcase of Epcot and the organising principles of a Disneyland.”
While Global Village was Sotto’s first exposure to the Middle East, he has bigger plans for the region – notably the desire to bring to life a groundbreaking conceptual design called Thrillboard.
An ingenious combination of a billboard, an observation tower and a roller coaster, Thrillboard is a 76.2-metre-tall tower clad in LED screens. The ride is a blend of roller coaster and Ferris wheel.
Renderings show orb-shaped ride cars with eight seats inside and a viewing window that opens like a helmet visor. Passengers will board the ride in the tower's basement and, after being strapped into the seats, begin their zippy ascent inside the tower.
The future belongs to architectural icons that are as alive as the cities they represent and look different every time you see them
Eddie Sotto,
experiential designer and conceptualist
When riders reach the top, they get a panoramic view of the city through the capsule window, which can also open, weather permitting. After dangling briefly at this observation spot, riders experience a short, stomach-tingling drop, followed by a smooth descent along a track weaving around the outside of the tower, which culminates in another drop.
“The drops will be small but fun and not too scary as that would limit ridership. This has a family audience,” explains Sotto.
Meanwhile, the footage on the LED screens – the tower's billboard element – interacts with the ride cars as they pass, making the tower look like a giant pinball machine from a distance.
The designer, who founded California-based design agency Sotto Studios, says: “Thrillboard would be an eye-catching landmark in any major metropolis, but I think it would be particularly well-suited to vibrant cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Riyadh because they are constantly redefining architecture.” It is perhaps why initial renderings show a Burj Khalifa-style tower in the background.
“It is time to reimagine what the observation experience could be in big cities,” adds Sotto. “To me, the future belongs to new architectural icons that are as alive as the cities they represent and look different every time you see them.”
Before starting his agency in 2004, Sotto spent 13 years at Disney, rising through its ranks to become senior vice president of concept design in the Imagineering division, named to reflect its imaginative use of engineering. He has since worked with luxury brands such as Ferrari, Porsche, Wynn Resorts and Kerzner, the resort operator that owns Atlantis The Palm and Atlantis The Royal.
Sotto cites Global Village as the prime example of his ability to bring “the best of architecture and the best of theme park experience to a project, and Thrillboard takes this to a new level”, he says. “The innovative thing about it is that the media on the skin of the structure syncs with the onboard audio and reacts to the movement of the vehicles. As such, it's a piece of ever-changing kinetic art that you ride in and influence.”
From a commercial point of view, the designer says “the ride car can become part of the branding”. Sweeping views and a rollercoaster ride aside, the audio and screens worked into Thrillboard tower’s dynamic and ever-changing exterior tell a story that can be developed with each storey. This can help make a sponsor brand’s tailored message even more memorable.
“Unlike a billboard, it has a direct return on investment as you charge for the ride and exit in the brand’s gift shop,” explains Sotto. With an estimated hourly capacity of up to 1,000 riders, it also would not take long to cover the construction cost, which is in the eight-figure range, he reveals.
While Sotto’s talks in the Middle East are covered by non-disclosure agreements, he is confident that Thrillboard would best suit the skyline of a country like the UAE, given the popularity of its skyscrapers and observation towers. The end game, he says, is to “raise the game by being interactive and give new meaning to the phrase 'putting you in the picture’”.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
More coverage from the Future Forum
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
