Eddie Sotto wears many feathers in his design cap. As part of his role at Walt Disney, the American experiential designer, mixed-media producer and conceptualist led the development of Mission: Space at the science-themed Epcot park in Orlando, as well as Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, the world's first trackless theme park ride that opened at Tokyo Disneyland in 2000.
Closer to home, Sotto has worked with Dubai’s Global Village, the seasonal open-air attraction that showcases countries by way of elaborate pavilions. What started in a car park in 1996 has exponentially grown and moved to its current location – along Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road – in 2005.
“We built the presentation and focused on visualising some of the central areas including the restaurants and transport systems for Global Village,” says Sotto, who was brought on board by American agency Colab Architecture + Urban Design, which also developed masterplans for Saadiyat Island marina, Dubai Creek waterfront and Mina Seyahi.
Sotto says he drew up a blueprint for Global Village in the image of World Showcase, a permanent world fair he worked on at Epcot. “It began with brainstorming meetings for the master layout, look and feel, and even the restaurants in the centre area of the hub. The master plan was a combination of the World Showcase of Epcot and the organising principles of a Disneyland.”
While Global Village was Sotto’s first exposure to the Middle East, he has bigger plans for the region – notably the desire to bring to life a groundbreaking conceptual design called Thrillboard.
An ingenious combination of a billboard, an observation tower and a roller coaster, Thrillboard is a 76.2-metre-tall tower clad in LED screens. The ride is a blend of roller coaster and Ferris wheel.
Renderings show orb-shaped ride cars with eight seats inside and a viewing window that opens like a helmet visor. Passengers will board the ride in the tower's basement and, after being strapped into the seats, begin their zippy ascent inside the tower.
The future belongs to architectural icons that are as alive as the cities they represent and look different every time you see them
Eddie Sotto,
experiential designer and conceptualist
When riders reach the top, they get a panoramic view of the city through the capsule window, which can also open, weather permitting. After dangling briefly at this observation spot, riders experience a short, stomach-tingling drop, followed by a smooth descent along a track weaving around the outside of the tower, which culminates in another drop.
“The drops will be small but fun and not too scary as that would limit ridership. This has a family audience,” explains Sotto.
Meanwhile, the footage on the LED screens – the tower's billboard element – interacts with the ride cars as they pass, making the tower look like a giant pinball machine from a distance.
The designer, who founded California-based design agency Sotto Studios, says: “Thrillboard would be an eye-catching landmark in any major metropolis, but I think it would be particularly well-suited to vibrant cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Riyadh because they are constantly redefining architecture.” It is perhaps why initial renderings show a Burj Khalifa-style tower in the background.
“It is time to reimagine what the observation experience could be in big cities,” adds Sotto. “To me, the future belongs to new architectural icons that are as alive as the cities they represent and look different every time you see them.”
Before starting his agency in 2004, Sotto spent 13 years at Disney, rising through its ranks to become senior vice president of concept design in the Imagineering division, named to reflect its imaginative use of engineering. He has since worked with luxury brands such as Ferrari, Porsche, Wynn Resorts and Kerzner, the resort operator that owns Atlantis The Palm and Atlantis The Royal.
Sotto cites Global Village as the prime example of his ability to bring “the best of architecture and the best of theme park experience to a project, and Thrillboard takes this to a new level”, he says. “The innovative thing about it is that the media on the skin of the structure syncs with the onboard audio and reacts to the movement of the vehicles. As such, it's a piece of ever-changing kinetic art that you ride in and influence.”
From a commercial point of view, the designer says “the ride car can become part of the branding”. Sweeping views and a rollercoaster ride aside, the audio and screens worked into Thrillboard tower’s dynamic and ever-changing exterior tell a story that can be developed with each storey. This can help make a sponsor brand’s tailored message even more memorable.
“Unlike a billboard, it has a direct return on investment as you charge for the ride and exit in the brand’s gift shop,” explains Sotto. With an estimated hourly capacity of up to 1,000 riders, it also would not take long to cover the construction cost, which is in the eight-figure range, he reveals.
While Sotto’s talks in the Middle East are covered by non-disclosure agreements, he is confident that Thrillboard would best suit the skyline of a country like the UAE, given the popularity of its skyscrapers and observation towers. The end game, he says, is to “raise the game by being interactive and give new meaning to the phrase 'putting you in the picture’”.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
The%20specs
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Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
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%3Cp%3ECreated%20by%3A%20Darren%20Star%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Lily%20Collins%2C%20Philippine%20Leroy-Beaulieu%2C%20Ashley%20Park%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202.75%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
KLOPP%20AT%20LIVERPOOL
%3Cp%3EYears%3A%20October%202015%20-%20June%202024%3Cbr%3ETotal%20games%3A%20491%3Cbr%3EWin%20percentage%3A%2060.9%25%3Cbr%3EMajor%20trophies%3A%206%20(Premier%20League%20x%201%2C%20Champions%20League%20x%201%2C%20FA%20Cup%20x%201%2C%20League%20Cup%20x%202%2C%20Fifa%20Club%20World%20Cup%20x1)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
