FORREC Ltd. (customarily styled FORREC) designs and plans
theme parks
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
,
water park
A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...
s,
resorts,
retail and mixed use developments and
visitor attractions around the world. FORREC's clients include
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
,
LEGOLAND,
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
,
BBC Worldwide and
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park corporation, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It has properties in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Six Flags owns the most theme parks and waterparks combined of any a ...
as well as international companies like China's
Wanda Group
Wanda Group (), or the Dalian Wanda Group (), is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in Dalian, Liaoning and headquartered in Beijing. It is a private property developer and owner of Wanda Cinemas and the Hoyts Group.
With inve ...
and
Chimelong Group
Chimelong Group Co., Ltd. () is a Chinese company that owns and operates theme parks in China. The company also owns restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. It is one of the leading Chinese amusement park operators. The company was founded in ...
,
Dubai Holding
Dubai Holding ( ar, دبي القابضة) is Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum's personal investment portfolio, which owns 99.67% of the capital.
It is a global investment holding company. Mohamed al Gergawi built the portfo ...
s,
Dubai Parks & Resorts, Meraas Leisure and Entertainment LLC, Singapore Tourism Board and
Khazanah Nasional Berhad
Khazanah Nasional Berhad is the sovereign wealth fund of the Government of Malaysia, entrusted with growing the nation's long-term wealth via distinct commercial and strategic objectives. Khazanah's commercial objective is to grow financial as ...
. FORREC began as a landscape architecture firm in Canada in 1984 and has since added architecture, interior design and graphics disciplines.
Company history
Pre-FORREC
1961-1965: Sasaki, Strong & Associates
Japanese-American landscape architect,
Hideo Sasaki
Hideo Sasaki (25 November 1919 – 30 August 2000) was a Japanese American landscape architect.
Biography
Hideo Sasaki was born in Reedley, California, on 25 November 1919. He grew up working on his family's California truck farm, and harvesti ...
partnered with Richard Strong to form the Toronto-based firm Sasaki, Stong and Associates in 1961. Working mainly in Canada, they master planned Toronto's Queen's Park Complex and designed
Nathan Philips Square.
1965-1970: Richard Strong Associates Ltd.
Richard Strong founded Richard Strong Associates in 1965, but continued to partner with Hideo Sasaki on numerous projects. Together they designed
La Ronde La Ronde may refer to:
Geography
* La Ronde, Charente-Maritime, a commune in the Charente-Maritime ''département'', France
* La Ronde River, on the Caribbean island of Dominica
*La Ronde (amusement park), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
* A La Ronde, an ...
, the amusement park for
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...
in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
.
1970-1973: Merged to form Strong Moorhead Sigsby, Ltd.
Merging with Australian landscape architecture professor, Donald Guy Sigsby, and Toronto-based landscape architect Steven Moorhead, Richard Strong became president of Strong Moorhead Sigsby, Ltd. The firm expanded, with offices in Toronto and
Sydney, Australia. As Strong Moorhead Sigsby Limited the group published numerous academic articles and studies, as well as the following books:
*
Gros Morne National Park,
Newfoundland, Atlantic Region (1971)
* Fathom Five Provincial Park (1973)
1973-1977: Name Change to Richard Strong - Steven Moorhead
Upon Sigsby's departure to start his own firm in Australia, a partnership formed between Strong and Moorhead. Most of the work from these 5 years was based in
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
. During this time the company focused on urban renewal, recreational land planning, and landscape design for urban parks, like
Devonian Square in downtown Toronto. One of their largest projects was The
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population i ...
Waterfront Park Study plan. This 28-page report was well received and was used as the basis of development for years to come. The pair continued to produce industry related books and articles, including:
*
Ryerson Polytechnical Institute: Landscape Development (1975)
1977-1984: Moorhead Fleming Corban Inc. then Moorhead, Fleming, Corban, and McCarthy
Strong moved to
Calgary, Alberta in 1977 and established his practice there as Richard Strong Associates. A series of employee promotions and company mergers adjusted the name and management make-up of the company for almost a decade. In 1978, the firm designed
Canada's Wonderland
Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Great-West Life As ...
, the country's first major theme park and later, in 1981, the
World Water Park at
West Edmonton Mall
West Edmonton Mall (WEM) is a shopping mall in Edmonton, Alberta, that is owned, managed, and operated by Triple Five Group. It is the second most visited mall in Canada, after the Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto, followed by Metrotown Mall in ...
.
As FORREC
The increase of theme park and water park focused work led to the company's final name change in 1985 to FORREC, a shortened version of "For recreation".
The company's business model also became a
private limited with share capital. To keep ownership fluid, a policy was created that required
shareholders to begin selling their shares at age 60.
1985-1992: A North-American focus
FORREC were hired by
USAA
The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is a San Antonio-based Fortune 500 diversified financial services group of companies including a Texas Department of Insurance-regulated reciprocal inter-insurance exchange and subsidiaries offeri ...
Real Estate Company, a subsidiary of the USAA insurance company, and
Gaylord Entertainment Company
Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. () is a hotel, resort, entertainment, and media company named after National Historic Landmark the Ryman Auditorium, built as a tabernacle by Captain Thomas G. Ryman in 1892 and later the home of the Grand Ole Op ...
, a company which owned
Opryland USA
Opryland USA (later called Opryland Themepark and colloquially "Opryland") was a theme park in suburban Nashville, Tennessee. It operated seasonally (generally March to October) from 1972 to 1997, and for a special Christmas-themed engagement eve ...
, to assist in the design of a theme park in
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, at the time known as
Fiesta Texas. Soon after,
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
hired FORREC to design their theme park in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, which opened in 1990.
1992-2013: Global projects
FORREC began doing more international work.
They were hired to transform the Beijing National Aquatics Center from the 2008 summer Olympics into a family water park called the Happy Magic Watercube. BBC Worldwide asked FORREC to create a series of prototypes for four of their most famous brands – ''
Top Gear
Top Gear may refer to:
* "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission
Television
* ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme
* ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
,
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
,
BBC Earth
BBC Earth is a brand used by BBC Studios since 2009 to market and distribute the BBC's natural history content to countries other than the United Kingdom. BBC Studios is the commercial arm of the public service broadcaster.
BBC Earth commercia ...
and
Walking with Dinosaurs
''Walking with Dinosaurs'' is a 1999 six-part nature documentary television miniseries created by Tim Haines and produced by the BBC Science Unit the Discovery Channel and BBC Worldwide, in association with TV Asahi, ProSieben and France 3. Envi ...
''.
2013-Present: Continued growth and mergers
In 2013, Tim Scott and Nolan Natale of Natale and Scott Architects (NASA), joined FORREC, along with their entire team. This addition makes FORREC a fully licensed architectural practice in Ontario.
FORREC merged with Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc (STLA) in 2016 to extend local expertise in landscape architecture.
Selected Projects
Theme parks
*
Canada's Wonderland
Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Great-West Life As ...
, Vaughn, Ontario, Canada
*
Dollywood
Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly ...
, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, United States
*
Everland Theme Park, Seoul, Korea
*
F1-X Theme Park, Dubai, UAE
*
LEGOLAND Deutschland
Legoland Deutschland Resort is a Legoland park located in Günzburg in southern Germany, roughly halfway from Munich to Stuttgart, which opened in 2002. It is 43.5 hectares (107 acres) in area, and it is one of the four most popular theme parks ...
, Gunzburg, Germany
* MOI Park, Istanbul, Turkey
*
Nickelodeon Universe
Nickelodeon Universe is the name of two indoor amusement parks located at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota and American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with a third location under construction at the Mall of China in Chongqing, ...
, Bloomington, Minnesota, United States
*
Ontario Place
Ontario Place is an entertainment venue, event venue, and park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The venue is located on three artificial landscaped islands just off-shore in Lake Ontario, south of Exhibition Place, and southwest of Downtown Toronto. ...
, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
* Oriental Imperial Valley Theme Park, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
*
Playland
*
Six Flags Dubai
Six Flags Dubai was a planned theme park under development for multiple years in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The park was being developed by DXB Entertainments, under license from Six Flags. The park was scheduled to open in November 2011, but Si ...
, Dubai, UAE
*
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
, Orlando, Florida, USA
*
Wanda
Wanda is a female given name of Poland, Polish origin. It probably derives from the tribal name of the Wends.Campbell, Mike"Meaning, Origin, and History of the Name Wanda."''Behind the Name.'' Accessed on August 12, 2010. The name has long been po ...
Nanchang Outdoor Theme Park, Nanchang, China
* Wanda Xishuangbanna International Resort, Xishuangbanna, China
Water parks
*
Caribbean Bay Everland Resort, Seoul, Korea
*
Center Parcs Domaine des Trois Forets, Moselle, France
*
Costa Caribe
Costa Caribe is a Nicaraguan professional basketball team that competes in Nicaragua's Torneo Carlos Ulloa league. ,
PortAventura World, Tarragona, Spain
* Dawang Deep Pit Water World, Changsha China
*
Happy Magic Watercube, Beijing, China
* Lotte World Kimhae Water Park, Kimhae, Korea
*
Nickelodeon Family Suites Resort Water Park, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States
*
NRH2O
NRH2O Family Water Park, stylized as NRH2O, is a water park located in North Richland Hills, Texas, owned by the City of North Richland Hills.
The park opened in 1995 and contains water slides, a swimming pool, a wave pool, and a lazy river ...
, North Richland Hills, Texas, United States
* Senbo Green Park Resort, China
* Wanda Xishuangbanna Water Park, Xishuangbanna, China
*
West Edmonton Mall, World Water Park, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Mixed use developments
*
Annapurna Studios, Hyderabad, India
* Azerbaijan Dream Land Plaza, Baku, Azerbaijan
* Circus City, Zhengding, China
* Dubai Wonderland, Dubai, UAE
* Fortune Bay Tourism City, Hengqin Island, China
* Garden City, Wa Fang Dian, China
*
Grand Galaxy Mall, Jakarta, Indonesia
* Marina Walk, Herzila, Israel
* Qingdao International Tourist City, Qingdao, China
* Thanh Xuan Park, Hanoi, Vietnam
*
Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada
*
Wave City Centre, Noida, India
Other
*
Dreamland, Cairo, Egypt
*
Longleat Safari and Adventure Park, Warminster, United Kingdom
* St. Elizabeth Village, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Awards
2017
* Architecture in Perspective 32
** Observational Award of Excellence to Ashley Thomas
** Rendering Award of Excellence to Autumn Kwon
2016
*
Architecture in Perspective 31 from the
American Society of Architectural Illustrators
The American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI), is a professional organization representing the business and artistic interests of architectural illustrators throughout North America and around the world. ASAI’s principal mandate is t ...
** Taidgh McClory Rendering Juror Award to Gary Chan
*Aquatics International Dream Design for Wanda Xishuangbanna International Resort Water Park
2015
* Architecture in Perspective 30
** Award of Excellence to Michael Mills for Hungarian House of Music, Budapest
** Thomas Payne Juror's Award to Anthony Chieh for Tower Concept, Guiyang
** Richard Johnson Juror's Award to Steve Thorington for Ocean Cottage
2014
* Order of da Vinci Award to FORREC Creative Director, Gordon Grice from the
Ontario Association of Architects The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) is the regulatory body responsible for registering and licensing all architects legally entitled to practice the scope of architecture in the Province of Ontario, Canada
Canada is a country in N ...
- Recognizing architects who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in the profession, education and/or in the community
2013
* Excellence in Planning Award: Research and New Directions for Step Forward Pedestrian Mobility Plan,
City of Hamilton from the
Ontario Professional Planners Institute
* Excellence in Planning Award: Healthy Communities for Step Forward Pedestrian Mobility Plan, City of Hamilton from the Ontario Professional Planners Institute
* Dream Design: Waterpark Renovation Honor for
Happy Magic Watercube, Beijing from Aquatics International
* Architecture in Perspective 28
** Award of Excellence to Danny Drapiza for Thanh Xuan Park
** Award of Excellence to Steve Thorington for Powerlong City Plaza
** Award of Excellence to Jan Jurgensen for Verdant Avenue
2012
* Architecture in Perspective 27
** Award of Excellence to Juhn Pena for 1001 Cities
2011
* Planning Excellence Award: Innovation in Sustaining Places for Confederation Park Master Plan Review and Update from
American Planning Association, New York Upstate Chapter - Recognizing plans that demonstrate how sustainability practices are being used in how places are planned, designed, built, used, and maintained at all scales
* Architecture in Perspective 26
** Award of Excellence for two Wanda Dalian Illustrations
2010
* Industry Innovation Award for
Centre Parcs Aquamundo, Moselle, France, from
The World Waterpark Association
* Industry Innovation Award for Happy Magic Watercube, Beijing, from The World Waterpark Association
External links
Official website
References
{{Reflist
Canadian companies established in 1985
Companies based in Toronto
Design companies of Canada
Entertainment companies of Canada
Amusement park companies
Museum companies
Architecture firms of Canada
Landscape architecture
Canadian landscape architects
Interior design firms
Consulting firms established in 1985
Consulting firms of Canada