IDEAS, a leading brand and experience design company, is working with Funco, LLC on ‘Bahía Urbana Park’, a reimagined visitor experience at the Port of San Juan in Puerto Rico.
The ‘Bahía Urbana Park’ project will serve San Juan’s cruise passengers, overnight visitors and residents with a culturally authentic entertainment experience.
The IDEAS team includes Exline Design and Architecture, overseeing all aspects of design, and Disney veterans Larry Stauffer, Rick Allen and Robert Kelley providing operations development.
Mike Yager will provide attraction design leadership, and producer Keith Davenport will oversee live entertainment planning. The market analysis and business planning will come from IDEAS’ partner Integrated Insight.
Visitor experience on San Juan Bay
“Whether you’re a first-time visitor arriving by cruise ship or a returning passionista back for a week’s vacation, Bahía Urbana Park will put Puerto Rico’s food, music, energy, and adventure at your fingertips on the San Juan waterfront,” says Jacobo Blanes, Funco, LLC co-founder.
Bahía Urbana Park will feature two themed areas – the ‘Waterfront Village’ and ‘Beach on the Bay’-a unique new attraction.
The Waterfront Village will boast views of the bay, with an esplanade of dining facilities, artisan workshops, a marketplace and street performances by local musicians and artists.
“The design will pay homage to Puerto Rico’s eclectic architectural heritage,” says David Exline.
Themed waterfront areas
Exline notes “we imagine charming facades, intimate alleyways, upper-level bridges and balconies, period streetlights, and storefronts all working together”.
Beach on the Bay will transform two of the port’s piers into a waterfront park and a nonstop beach party.
At its heart are two landscaped ‘floating islands’ with lush tropical landscaping, connected by a series of suspension bridges to the adjacent ‘Eco Adventure’ area. This will be home to wildlife encounters, a tree canopy walk, and other attractions.
“We’re looking at options right now including observation wheels and other systems to give guests a 360-degree view of San Juan harbor as well as a number of potential experiences that allow us to provide a thrilling flight over this incredibly diverse island,” says Charles Moore, IDEAS’ senior producer.
Immersive cultural storytelling
Bahía Urbana Park is expected to create more than 180 jobs during construction and 250 jobs when it launches.
“From its mountainsides to the charming streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico truly is an enchanted isle,” says Bob Allen, chief storytelling officer for IDEAS. “We’ve all fallen in love with Puerto Rico and our team couldn’t be more enthused to share the best of what the island has to offer at Bahía Urbana Park.
“We believe this destination will set a new standard for immersive cultural storytelling.”
