The redevelopment of a 30-year-old indoor amusement park that includes an infrastructure overhaul to support a new cast of rides in a football field-sized space only begins to the tell the story of the $52-million Mega Parc in Quebec City.
What it does not tell is that the project, by Oxford Properties Group, will be built in a busy shopping mall, Les Galeries de la Capitale, and the target completion date is December 2018.
"I think main challenge will be the timeline," says Jean Pelletier, Oxford’s manager of the Mega Parc. "Fifteen to 18 months is a very short time to build it so the co-ordination (of trades) is very important."
Most of the old rides will be disassembled and put up for sale; others will be demolished.
There will be 14 new rides and a 230-metre-long skating trail — the longest of its kind in the world — as part of a new theme that harkens back to the Quebec capital’s early industrial days while looking to a science fantasy future.
"A good way to say it is the theme is retro-futuristic," says Pelletier.
The agenda calls for the shopping centre to remain open throughout the construction schedule. To control dust and expedite construction, hoarding will surround the site, says John Plumpton, a principal with RevelHouse Architects, the Toronto-based concept architect for the project.
The work will include demolition of existing concrete floors, foundations and the current ice rink. The constructor is Reliance Construction Group of Montreal. A number of the subcontractors from in and around Quebec City are expected to be awarded jobs, says Pelletier.
The top attraction will be a spokeless ferris wheel — a ring standing about seven storeys high with vehicles moving on a track around it. It will be the only indoor ferris wheel of its type in the world.
Another ride will carry people through the centre of the wheel, says Plumpton.
"That’s never been done before," he explains.
The architect says what sets Mega Parc apart from other indoor amusement parks, and what made it so difficult to design, is its integration into the surrounding retail environment of Les Galeries de la Capitale.
"It is fully exposed to the food court and retail corridors," he adds.
Often, retailers are uncomfortable being adjacent to amusement parks because they are noisy and visually incompatible with their shops, says Plumpton, who has 20 years experience designing entertainment complexes.
He believes Mega Parc will set a new standard where the two comfortably occupy adjoining spaces.
To achieve that balance, there will be a buffer zone featuring a large common area complete with a stage, fountain and a series of plantings.
Furthermore, the park will look "very grown up" and will be devoid of the brightly coloured rides associated with amusement parks or carnivals around the world, including the earlier version of the Mega Parc, he adds.
The "steampunk theme," which is a term coined to describe a sci-fi world incorporating industrial steam-powered technology, works with the "existing architecture…a big vaulted metal space" in the shopping centre, Plumpton says.
"Instead of trying to refinish every surface we worked with it," he says, adding that five of the park’s mechanical rides, including the roller coaster, carousel and small train ride, will be maintained.
While the new theme is "visually toned down, we jacked up the actual experiences of the rides and attractions."
Plumpton says he went on a global search to secure all the rides to countries such as Germany, Italy, Scotland and the U.S. International Play Company of Vancouver will supply play structures for children throughout the site
The project’s architect of record is LemayMichaud of Quebec City.
The Mega Parc is projected to draw up to 600,000 visitors annually, says Pelletier.
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