CALYPSO DISCOVERY CENTER
Lusail, Qatar
18,000 square meters
CALYPSO FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
The heart and soul of Seef Lusail is the Club Discovery Qatar (CDQ), a 108,000 sf (10,034 sm) “edutainment” center that entertains, engages and enlightens guests while celebrating curiosity, exploration and the human spirit. The attraction begins with the exterior architecture. Imagined as a leviathan like creature of ribbon, it appears to have climbed from the water to nest on the coast, its tentacles still reaching out into the sea, its translucent, “breathing” (ETFE) skin that teases with glimpses inside. The building is unique that its exterior shell and interior floor plates are entirely independent structures. As if drawn in by an irresistible gravitational pull, guests approach Club Discovery from all points: via the waterfront promenade, on a climate-controlled bridge from the retail mall, at the valet drop-off or from the underground parking structure. The interior program includes aquariums, theaters, camping, waterfalls, rock climbing, exhibits, rides, animals and insects, interactive programming, kinetics water features, the LED panels, the incorporation of living green walls, the building’s
