Kalahari Pocono Mountains Resort doubles in size with an OpenAire-illuminated expansion.
Newly-expanded 220,000 square-foot waterpark features more than a dozen new aquatic attractions.
Staff and executives of Kalahari Resorts and Conventions broke records on March 17, 2017 as they celebrated the completion of Kalahari Pocono Mountains’ Phase II 110,000 square-foot addition. This expansion has doubled the Pennsylvania waterpark’s size, giving guests a total of 220,000 square feet of aquatic attractions and earning Kalahari the title of largest indoor waterpark in the United States. With its abundance of natural light this record-breaking waterpark and resort offers visitors an outdoor atmosphere any time of year, thanks to its three skylights, two large translucent roofs, three glass clearstories and two high glass walls designed and built by OpenAire.
This grand opening marks the completion of Phase II of OpenAire’s work for the popular African-themed waterpark and resort. Phase I of the park project opened in 2015 with 110,000 square feet of original attractions under an expansive retractable skylight. Kalahari continued with its designers, Architectural Design Consultants Inc. (ADCI), Kraemer Brothers, and OpenAire, on Phase II in 2016 and into 2017. The resort now covers a total of 150 acres and features more than a dozen new slides and attractions. These include the thrilling Sahara Sidewinder and Screaming Hyena slides, which include a near-vertical drop; the swirling Victoria Falls; Coral Cove for younger kids; an expanded lazy river; a swim-up bar; an indoor/outdoor spa; and much more. Kalahari’s management are thrilled to open these new attractions, as well as over 500 new guest rooms and extra convention space, in order to meet high demand from throughout the northeastern United States.
OpenAire’s expansive, customized skylights ensure that Kalahari guests can experience these great features in an authentic outdoor atmosphere no matter what the weather outside. The completed waterpark includes a soaring glazed roof enclosure measuring 134’ x 50’ with a 34’ high glass front wall and a huge 134’ wide glass sidewall rising from a height of 34’ to 51’; as well as an incredibly large polycarbonate glazed single-slope roof measuring 134’ x 53’ feet; three sloping clearstory windows measuring 136’ x 6’-8” high and two large pyramid skylights measuring 50’ x 50’. Over the slide tower is a ridge skylight measuring 30’ x 40’, which features two 10’ wide retracting roof panels which allows fresh air to enter and naturally vents the moist aquatic atmosphere. These skylights and roofs flood the space with natural light and with the retracting skylight gives Kalahari the best of both an indoor and an outdoor waterpark environment. OpenAire is very proud to complete this multi-year project with Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, which has allowed OpenAire to bring outdoor-style aquatic environments to the world on an unprecedented scale.
Photos courtesy of Kalahari Resort
