Case Study: Studio City Water Park, Macau
Small Footprint for the Resort, Big Significance for the Region
Studio City has Macau’s only water park, and it hold much more significance than at first glance.
Long known for its casinos, the city of Macau is in the midst of transforming itself from the gambling scene to the entertainment hub of China’s Greater Bay Area. This is one of the biggest megalopolises in the world, comprising nine cities in Guangdong province, Hong Kong, and Macau.
With shows, attractions, and family-friendly hotels, Macau is ambitiously planning to become the go-to place for leisure for this region’s 72 million people, thus diversifying the city’s economy.
That’s why the Studio City Water Park’s opening in 2021 is so notable. Located on the rooftop of the resort’s casino, WhiteWater and WTI have delivered a park that offers so much splashy wet fun for the entire family, packed into a small footprint. And because it was built on a rooftop, special considerations had to be made for mechanicals, piping, and secondary containment, not to mention typhoons that are common in the region.
This outdoor water park will be complemented by an indoor water park and is part of phase two of Studio City’s expansion, which will help attract visitors to fill the additional 900 luxury rooms, restaurants, and MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions) space when the expansion is completed.
Water Slides with a Metallic Finish
With the cinematic-themed resort marked by the iconic “Golden Reel” figure eight Ferris wheel (the number eight symbolizing fortune in Chinese culture), Studio City’s overall style reflects wealth and affluence.
Naturally, the water park’s look and feel needed to align with Studio City’s theme of glitz and glam. Two of the slides, Storm Chaser Gold and Storm Chaser Silver, have proprietary metallic paint finishes on the fiberglass exterior, in addition to translucent sections. The metallic finish is a very unique attribute that involved a challenging manufacturing process, which WhiteWater has mastered.
Fun for Every Taste
The Studio City Water Park is an aquatic wonderland, offering resort-style comfort and fun for guests of all ages. The water park features a variety of exhilarating and family-friendly water slides and attractions, including:
- Highpoint Twister – a slide complex anchored on a tower 20 meters in height, dispatching five colorful high-octane slides
- Golden Bucket – a multi-level AquaPlay 1750 structure with more than 60 interactive water features and a tipping bucket
- Little Lagoon – a kid-friendly area with a shallow pool, mini body slides, and a mini Boomerango that are perfect for the little ones
Highpoint Twister – Launching Point for Five Slides
One of a kind in Macau, the Highpoint Twister is a slide complex that launches a mix of rides of moderate to high thrills.
“Super Typhoon” – Rattler + Boomerango Fusion
High-thrill family slide
This ride uses a round 3-person raft and starts in an open flume. The raft then travels into a dark section and drops into a 5-meter Rattler barrel, sending riders into unexpectedly fast, near-vertical oscillations. The raft then enters an enclosed flume, where AquaLucent polka dots create a light effect around the hairpin turn. Next comes the huge drop, and into the Boomerango wall, where guests experience a feeling of weightlessness at the top. The ride finishes with a zero-gravity bump and into a run out.
“Tornado” – Flatline Loop
High-thrill body slide
This ride is for guests with a high appetite for thrill. It starts with the guest standing on a clear acrylic trapdoor inside our AquaLaunch Capsule, seeing the freefall that awaits them, heightening the anticipation. When the capsule is closed, they will hear a “3-2-1” countdown before the floor opens to send them into a plummet. The use of translucent fiberglass for this slide not only enhances the rider’s experience but also that of the onlookers, as they can see their family or friends hurtling at great speeds.
“Hurricane” – Family Raft Ride
Moderate-thrill slide
What makes this classic ride a favorite is having the whole family experience laughs and fun together, through big oscillations, open and closed sections, and unexpected AquaLucent light effects. Sitting in a 3-person raft, everyone is facing one another, so mom and dad can enjoy the expressions on their children’s faces as they ride high up the wall of the flume.
“Storm Chaser Silver” – Super Bowl
Moderate-thrill slide
On a 1 to 2-person inner tube, this slide combines a dark tunnel with a big drop, where the riders pick up intense speed and find themselves pinned high against the wall. They then enter a huge 9-meter-wide bowl and rotate around until dropping out and coming into the run-out lane. This unique ride also comes with a unique look—sawtooth edges around the bowl.
“Storm Chaser Gold” – Open and Enclosed
Moderate-thrill slide
A 1 to 2-person open/enclosed inner tube ride with a variety of stripes and light sensations, this slide offers guests a classic, yet surprisingly fun twisting and turning experience, with a sneaky big drop in the middle.
Play for Everyone
More than thrilling water slides, the Studio City Water Park offers a perfect mix of fun that maximizes play value and capacity at the same time.
“Golden Bucket” – AquaPlay 1750
The Golden Bucket is a multi-level AquaPlay structure with slides and more than 60 interactive features, such as water guns, jets, and pull ropes. In line with Studio City’s theme, the structure is decorated with golden orbs and topped by an 1800-liter golden tipping bucket.
“Little Lagoon” – Children’s Area with Slides
Little Lagoon is a safe area for children, with a shallow pool and four slides, including a Mini Boomerango.
In Summary
The opening of the Studio City Water Park—the only one in town—has elevated Macau’s entertainment scene and plays an important role in transforming this Special Administrative Region from a casino-based economy to a family leisure hub. Built on the rooftop of the resort’s casino, the placement of this project is very unusual and required special considerations for mechanicals, piping, and secondary containment.
With the hotel towering over the water park, the overall look and feel of the park had to align with the general aesthetics of wealth and fortune, which resulted in two water slides with metallic gold and silver paint—a rarity in the industry.
Even with the tight footprint, WhiteWater and WTI were able to creatively maximize capacity and deliver fun for the whole family, from thrill seekers to small children.
See the Studio City Water Park project page here.
