Sunkid Goes Hot & Cold. Projects in Narvik, Norway & The Guatemalan Highlands
Sunkid is showcasing developments in icy Narvik and the humid Guatemalan Highlands.
Narvik – Come on your first virtual visit to a children's skiing land. The Norwegian skiing region is the first of its kind to use Sunkid's 3D-planing and VR-presentation option. This ensures a thoroughly sophisticated and designed experience.
As announced, Sunkid now offers the option of experiencing projects in advance through VR presentation. Narvikfjellet is the first skiing region ever to use this opportunity. They were able to walk through their fully equipped children's skiing land long before it was implemented. The skiing region is located within the Norwegian polar circle, in the town of Narvik. Narvikfjellet approached Sunkid with their project in order to become more attractive for families.
VR was a good option due to the size of the planning area. The technology enables customers to virtually enter their future children skiing land. The terrain was generated with a special 3D software to represent Narvik with its fjord. A children skiing land adjusted to the terrain. Two conveyor belts, a fairy tale forest and an area for skiing beginners was created based on the data, and pictures from different viewpoints were generated from this. They were a good basis for imagining the project and could be used for representation, e.g. to advertise on various channels. VR then made it possible to change perspective and permitted an integrated view of the project. Günter Buschta, planner and visualiser at Sunkid, says on this subject: "As a designer, you can control what the customer can or cannot see. This is why VR technology is ideal for customers. They can dive into the virtual world and look at everything without restriction:" Sound effects are another highlight that pep up the experience, as they change based on position and viewing direction. The Narvikfjellet is used as an example of how traditional Norwegian stories are told in the fairy-tale forest. The area for skiing beginners is filled with laughing children who are instructed by skiing teachers. A web link was generated once the project was virtually completed with pictures and sound. It allowed everyone to enter the slopes with VR glasses and explore the premises. Of course, the project can be inspected without VR glasses as well.
In the case of Narvikfjellet, the VR presentation was published via Facebook, and also used for financing. This had positive effects because it served as an extraordinary project illustration. "The children's skiing land has had very good responses. Without doubt, the families among our customers have grown more than in previous years," Florian Aschwanden, the happy General Manager of Narvikfjellet, says.
Dive into Narvikfjellets Kinderskiland here: HERE
The Conveyor Belt on the tracks of the Mayans
A Sunkid conveyor belt of the latest generation found a new home in the Guatemalan highlands, where the Mayans used to live.
The Irtra institute opened the Xejuyup theme park to offer residents and tourists of the Departamento Retalhuleu another adventure. The word "Xejuyup" is Quiché or Cakchiquel and means "at the foot of the hill". The great highlight in the new theme park is a tubing facility with the tried and tested Sunkid conveyor belt that takes guests up 13.7 metres on 66‑metre-long section, from where they can slide down the mats on tubes. The park has many other attractions, too, including themed accommodation, fishing areas, horseback riding, mountain bike routes, an interactive farm and an artificial lake.
Irtra embedded its theme park beautifully into nature. It is a four hours' drive from Guatemala-City. As Ricardo Castillo, president of the administrative council of Irtra, emphasises, it aims to give all visitors memorable adventures in combination with the mysticism of nature. "We share this area with the characteristic flora and fauna of the region, including infinite numbers of beautiful birds. This is where we can enjoy activities such as fishing, riding and going on adventures. Anyone who loves to feel adrenalin shooting through their veins and is looking for strong emotion can try the tubing facility. The conveyor belt makes it a unique attraction as an ideal climbing aid," says Castillo.
This project once again highlights the variability and diversity of the conveyor belt. Sunkid has already installed more than 3,500 of these facilities in more than 70 countries.
