IMAGINEERING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Our journey begins at Disney Springs, a premier example of how a fictional history can breathe life into a built environment.

• Dinner: We'll begin with a group dinner at Blaze Pizza where you can create your own gastronomic masterpiece from a variety of sauces, cheeses and toppings! Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available.

• Fictional Foundations: Following dinner, discover how specific design features and historical layers are utilized to make a commercial space feel like a historic destination.

• Storytelling Master Class: During this two-hour walking tour, you'll learn how Imagineers crafted a narrative arc for the area—from its origins as an 1800s cattle ranch to a thriving bottling company and town—using architectural cues and plenty of fun “Easter eggs” if you know where to look.

On Saturday, we shift our focus to the physical manifestation of Walt Disney’s grandest visions, examining the infrastructure that supports the magic within The Imagineered World.

9:00 AM – Morning at Magic Kingdom

• Pixie Dusting the Magic Kingdom: Explore the original park through an Imagineer’s eyes, deconstructing how the built environment engages sight, sound, smell, and touch to anchor guests in the story.

• Master Planning: Discover the role of the utilidors and a variety of transport systems, like the Monorail, in maintaining thematic consistency and efficiency.

12:30 PM – Lunch on Own and Transit to EPCOT

3:00 PM – Afternoon at EPCOT

• World Showcase Secrets at EPCOT: We pivot to EPCOT to analyze how design and engineering serve the narrative.

• Architecture of Futurism: Examine how the structural choices found at EPCOT immerse you in a specific time and place

 

6:00 PM – Dinner on Own

• Three hours for dinner and free time to explore.
   

9:00 PM – Luminous The Symphony of Us

• Feast your eyes on a nighttime spectacular as it lights up the sky over World Showcase Lagoon.

We conclude our masterclass at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College with an academic deep dive into Walt Disney’s ultimate Built Environment concept.
 

9:00 AM – Walt’s Living Laboratory:

• Experience an in-depth presentation on the original vision for EPCOT as a functional “City of Tomorrow”.

• Urban Innovation: Using rare film clips and diagrams, you will be treated to a deep dive into Walt’s visionary plans for social engineering, high-speed transit, and a climate-controlled city center.

• The Innovator’s Roundtable: Engage with a panel of industry experts during a discussion as well as book signings moderated by Brian Collins, showcasing his new book, Creative Cross-Pollination, as well as those from the other authors.

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