Spirit of the Isle

For Disney Imagineering’s Imaginations Design Competition, I worked with three classmates “to create a new outdoor space within your college or university that addresses current students, faculty and visitors needs while providing a respite from the stresses of college life.” We won second place out of over 335 collegiate teams with our submission, “Spirit of the Isle.”

Our initial approach to our design incorporated generative research where we held interviews and conducted a customer survey with over 150 people. We used the data collected from these responses to determine which on-campus locations are associated with relaxation.

Then through studying Disney’s design principles we discovered uncanny parallels to the Notre Dame experience. We used this as inspiration as we expanded into our ideation and conceptualization phase. Our ideas began as highly imaginative, that we were then challenged to reiterate into mechanically feasible forms. My technical knowledge of solid modeling was essential for this stage. When designing the island, the work we produced was truly collaborative. Thus, I learned to rely on my teammates’ knowledge and to learn from them to work in unfamiliar environments. My design mindset and emphasis toward human-centered design allowed us to account for the usability of our space by all our guests.

Below are in-context renders of the Isle that I created for our presentation in Glendale, California. 

The system that allows for the mechanical leaves of our pods to rise and lower as a retractable roof. The vertical motion of the leaf functions through a motor and regulator system, similar to how power windows in a car raise and lower. The inward and outward motion occurs through the use of a four-bar mechanism that guides the leaf through an opening in the floor and allows it to create a roof to protect guests from the elements.

My specific roles on the project were assisting in the 3D modeling of our space, completing in-context and sketched-over renderings, and developing the mechanical components of our space. I also created the physical model of our space we displayed at competition through 3D printing, laser-cutting, and various finishing techniques.

This project was conceived by the University of Notre Dame team and created for the 2017 Walt Disney Imagineering’s Imaginations Design Competition. This project is the sole property of Walt Disney Imagineering and all rights to use these ideas are exclusive to Disney Imagineering. The competition is a way for students and recent graduates to showcase their talents and for Walt Disney Imagineering to identify new talent.