Hetzel Design, a world-class architectural entertainment design and masterplanning studio, is reflecting on three recent projects that have either been completed or have broken ground – Beijing Haichang Ocean Park Aquarium, Nickelodeon Resort at Land at Land of Legends, and Chimelong Spaceship.
Many creative concepts remain unrealised due to the inherent challenges in translating designs into built structures. Hetzel, an architectural entertainment design firm providing concept packages, says: “As a design firm, it is always so fulfilling and a pleasure to announce projects that we design that are actually under construction to be built.”
Beijing Haichang Ocean Park Aquarium
Legacy Entertainment, a leading theme park and resort design company, together with its subsidiary, The Aquarium Design Company, revealed the design for the new Beijing Haichang Ocean Park in December 2024.
Located next to Universal Studios Beijing in the city’s Tongzhou district, the 150,000 square meter (1,614,586 square foot) facility will be one of the world’s largest indoor aquariums when it opens to the public in 2027. The project is being developed with Beijing Tongzhou Urban Construction and Operation Group (TCJ).
To bring the ambitious project to life, Legacy has brought together a team of industry-leading talent, with collaborators including Hetzel Design, Visual Terrain, Management Resources/ProFun, and Rabben Herman Design Office.
Working with Haichang under the shared vision of creating “the aquarium of the future”, the team has designed a next-generation facility incorporating all the latest trends in environmental design, guest experience, and animal husbandry.
Chimelong Spaceship
The Hetzel Design team has also worked with Legacy Entertainment on a previous project in China, the Thea Award-winning Chimelong Spaceship in Guangdong.
The world’s largest marine science museum, Chimelong Spaceship opened in autumn 2023. Legacy provided creative direction, storytelling and show design, while Hetzel delivered architecture, planning and exterior design aesthetics.
This ocean world has a high-tech theme, from the spaceship-inspired architecture to the virtual reality experience inside. It is separated into 10 unique zones and features animals from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, which can be viewed inside the immersive exhibit areas. Models, lighting, visual effects, and multimedia terminals enhance the experience.
“The one thing that is so incredible and surprising, once I visit a project in-person after seeing it in drawings on a computer for all those months or years, is how enormously large the built structure is,” says Branislav Hetzel, co-founder of Hetzel Design.
“In the case of Chimelong Spaceship, being one of the largest structures on Earth, visiting it in person is humbling and awe-inspiring, truly. Much appreciation to Mr. Su for the team he put together to create this beautiful experience.”
Nickelodeon land and hotel at Land of Legends
Hetzel was also part of the team that worked on the new Nickelodeon land and hotel at the Land of Legends theme park in Antalya, Turkey.
New this year, it is home to three new areas: ‘Bikini Bottom’ from SpongeBob SquarePants, ‘Star Trek: Wild Galaxy’ from the Star Trek: Prodigy animated TV series, and ‘Adventure Bay’ from Paw Patrol.
Rides and attractions include ‘Jellyfish Jam’ swing in Bikini Bottom, a 5D cinema in Star Trek: Wild Galaxy, and the ‘Skye’s Flyers’ helicopter-style ride in Adventure Bay.
