The city of Grand Prairie wanted to offer their community a place to play and experience leisure unlike any other.
In 2015, the Texas city of Grand Prairie had the ambition to build a lasting recreational space in the spirit of New York’s Central Park that could serve as a major leisure destination. They planned to build a huge recreation center with event space and a waterpark in the heart of the city that would live up to Grand Prairie’s motto, “Dream Big, Play Hard.”
To make their dream a reality, the City Council chose the best developers for the job, commissioning a large-scale partnership between OpenAire and leading industry experts. This dynamic team gave rise to The Epic Grand Central; a monumental complex that will provide 172 acres of concentrated recreation space for all of Grand Prairie’s six million citizens. Major attractions will include many outdoor trails, a recreation centre and athletic facilities, an amphitheater, a music studio, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, a library, a spa and the 62,000-square-foot Epic Waters indoor waterpark, all framed by elegant, sweeping architecture and landscaping.
When finished, Epic Waters will be the largest retractable-roofed indoor waterpark in the USA, contained under a soaring barrel vault enclosure with a total of 36 automated retractable roof bays, keeping the park at a perfect 85°F in any weather. Crowning this gleaming structure will be a 83-foot-high cupola housing the waterpark’s slide tower. In total, Epic Waters and the rest of The Epic’s many attractions will make for a world-class destination that truly reflects its name.
OpenAire will build an incredible free-standing aluminum structure with polycarbonate-roof panels and glass walls that makes a bold impression, yet connects beautifully with the rest of the centre’s design. The graceful arched roof will span 160 ft. wide and be 384 ft. long. The design will include 18 retractable bays along each side of the roof’s apex that will let in the sunshine and fresh air of hot summer days, while closing securely at the touch of a button during colder or rainy days. Reaching further beyond these heights will be a 83-foot-high cupola housing the park’s slides. The top of the cupola will also feature two retractable roof panels to open up the slide tower to ensure riders don’t overheat at this high elevation. Included in the park will be the longest indoor lazy river in Texas, the tallest Aqualoop in the USA, the world’s first boomerango and constrictor combination slide and the first two passenger Aquasphere in the USA. The full effect of the enclosure will be a huge, soaring space that provides Epic entertainment year round.
The result will be an open, light, bright and vibrant environment that will house the park’s Epic selection of rides and attractions.
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