Zehnders Splash Park Renovation, Frankenmuth MI
In 2005, Zehnder’s Splash Village Hotel and Indoor waterpark was opened with a 20,000 sf indoor wood structure waterpark called the Splash Park.
In 2015 a massive new retractable roof enclosure (by OpenAire) called the Atrium Waterpark was added, along with more hotel space, making the resort Michigan’s first waterpark to feature a retractable roof!
The 30,000 sf Atrium Waterpark stood out as a new bright fresh clean space. The slide tower cupola sits up seventy (70) feet in the air and is visible for miles. The Atrium structure is aluminum so it is corrosion resistant and the fresh bright clean space actually saves owners money because not only is the structure maintenance free, but when the roof is open, the air handling systems are turned off. This means for about a third of the year the park is ventilated naturally.
In 2019, the Zehnders team decided that the original Splash Park was due for a facelift. Not the interior – but the actual waterpark structure… the roof and the walls!
Over time the wood had decayed such that it needed to be replaced. However the wood structure of the facility was still in good condition and the owners wanted to keep the beautiful wood beams in the space.
They tasked OpenAire with the challenge: Can you add a new building over an existing waterpark? The answer as you can see is; yes you can!
OpenAire was brought in to re-clad the wood structure with a corrosion resistant aluminum retractable roof infilled with polycarbonate and a glass curtain wall. The old walls and roof were ripped off and the new ones were added, turning the space into another bright fresh environment to match the Atrium.
Opening in 2020, this new renovation to Zehnders Splash Park definitely secures its spot as THE top travel and family destination in the state of Michigan!
