Advancing into the Desert! The super-dimensional brainstorming that helped the Magic Castle take root in the Realm of Illusion!

Algeria

Europe's backyard - Algeria

Algeria is a country located in North Africa. With a total area of 2,382,000 square kilometers, it is the largest country in Africa and the tenth largest in the world. Its geography is diverse, with four main regions: the Mediterranean coastal plain, the Tell Atlas mountain range, the plateau of the central region, and the Sahara desert in the south.

Algeria, straddling the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean cultural sphere, and separated from France by the sea, is known as the “Sunset Land” of North Africa and the backyard of Europe, a mysterious and serious country located in the northern part of Africa that is full of history and culture at the same time.

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Most of Algeria is covered by the vast Sahara Desert, where rolling sand dunes form a magnificent sand sea landscape and nurture a unique ecosystem.

On top of this unique and mysterious desert landscape, a “Magic Castle” full of fantastical colors makes a stunning appearance - in December 2024, VISA MALL, a mid-to-high-end shopping mall integrating shopping and indoor amusement, will grandly open its doors.

▲【VISA PARK】on-the-spot photo

VISA PARK, the indoor amusement section in the mall, has injected brand-new entertainment vitality into the local community. Since its opening, VISA PARK has quickly become a favorite among local residents with its unique amusement programs and exciting interactive experiences, and has become a hot new leisure and entertainment landmark in Algeria with its daily influx of people and high popularity.

▲【VISA PARK】on-the-spot photo

Algeria

Into the desert.

In view of its special geographical location, [VISA PARK] is full of difficulties and obstacles at every step from conception to realization. As the project design unit, Elephant Art's team started the extreme “brainstorming” mode of attack.

With the vision of delivering joy to every corner of the world, we never wavered in our determination even in the harsh desert conditions. The team worked day and night, overcoming one problem after another, in an effort to create a dreamlike place of endless joy for the Algerian desert.

01

There are differences in culture and aesthetics, what should the design be?

Algeria has a long history, with Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine and other civilizations having left their mark on the country in the past, and has been deeply influenced by Arab culture, which has given it an extremely deep cultural heritage.

Starting from the entrance, the local culture of Algeria was deeply explored, and inspiration was drawn from the traditional mosque architecture that can be seen everywhere and is solemn, combined with the local stone resources that are rich in reserves and of excellent texture, to create an arch-shaped entrance to the paradise.

▲【VISA PARK】Project Design Drawings

This design is not only functionally perfect to guide the flow of people, marking the important task of the area, so that tourists can conveniently and orderly in and out of the park; in the aesthetic level, it is highly compatible with the local people's long-established aesthetic habits, the smooth lines of the arches, the natural texture of the stone, to evoke people's deep emotions and identity of the local architectural culture, highlighting the rich regional characteristics.

▲【VISA PARK】Project Design Drawings

When conceptualizing the overall style of VISA PARK, we drew inspiration from the complex and diverse cultural veins of Algeria, fully integrating the mysterious solemnity of the Gothic style, the elegance and refinement of the European style, as well as the beautiful fantasy of European romanticism, to create a unique spatial architecture.

▲【VISA PARK】Project Design Drawings

In the use of color, the designer grasps the local people's unique preference for color, boldly adopting bright and contrasting tones, orange and blue contrast with each other, emerald green and red, giving each play area vivid vitality, so that the entire indoor park is rich in historical and cultural texture, but also overflowing with modern enthusiasm and vitality.

02

Long project cycle and witnessing the process from 0 to 1

The project was officially launched in 2022, and due to the long construction period of the mall building's main structure, the whole process lasted more than 2 years from design conception to finalization.

▲【VISA PARK】on-the-spot photo

During the promotion of the project, the Elephant Art team has maintained close communication with the investor. Both sides around the design ideas, construction programs and construction process of all kinds of problems, have carried out the corresponding exchanges and discussions, for the orderly development of the project to provide a certain guarantee, prompting the project was finally presented.

02

What would be a more comfortable design for such a hot area?

▲【VISA PARK】on-the-spot photo

The climate in Algeria is hot and dry, and some areas are exposed to strong sunlight. In order to ensure a good indoor amusement experience, the ventilation system is optimized, using a combination of natural and mechanical ventilation to ensure indoor air circulation and reduce the feeling of stifling heat;

▲【VISA PARK】on-the-spot photo

In terms of the layout of amusement facilities, rest areas are reasonably set up and equipped with sufficient air-conditioning equipment to provide visitors with a comfortable playing environment.

03

How do you transport a decorative component this large?

For the effect of the project landing, the project used a number of large decorative components. However, how to transport these beautifully shaped but bulky components abroad became a tricky problem, especially the loading of the container, which posed many challenges.

In order to maximize the use of space inside the container, the designers used computer software to carry out a detailed simulation of the loading process. In the virtual environment, they arranged and combined all the components one by one, and debugged them repeatedly, just to find the most reasonable and compact package.

▲【VISA PARK】Decorative components for cabinets

When it comes to the actual loading site, the staff strictly follows the pre-designed placement guidelines and operates methodically to ensure that each component is accurately positioned, and the entire loading process advances in an efficient and orderly manner.

▲【VISA PARK】Decorative components for cabinets

04

How do you control the quality of construction?

The smooth landing of the project in Algeria could not be achieved without the close cooperation between the staff of the two places. However, there are significant differences between Algeria and China due to factors such as the working pace and religious beliefs of Algerians. The Algerian people's slower working pace, strong local religious culture and unique way of life make them pay special attention to the balance between life and work in their work, rather than just pursuing high efficiency.

▲【VISA PARK】construction site

For this reason, we have always been patient in the process of coordinating the construction landing, giving the local construction team plenty of time to push forward the work. At the same time, we have studied the characteristics of Algeria's work rhythms in depth, and we have crafted a more flexible and elastic construction program that allows for a certain amount of buffer time to deal with possible delays in the work schedule.

For example, when arranging the progress of the project, take into full consideration the long time needed by the local construction staff to complete the task, as well as religious festivals, weather and other force majeure factors that may lead to work stoppages, so as to avoid arranging each task too tightly, and to ensure that the project plan is practicable.

▲【VISA PARK】construction site

In the process of cooperation, we proactively build a friendly and trustful cooperation bridge with Algerian construction personnel. Through frequent daily exchanges and interactions, we have enhanced mutual understanding and established deep friendship between the two sides. Moreover, we attach great importance to the role of interpreters, and with their professional language services, we ensure that the information is conveyed accurately and correctly, and effectively avoid misunderstandings caused by language and cultural differences, so as to build a solid foundation for the smooth progress of the project.

Taking into account the unique conditions of a foreign country

Accurately adapting to local needs

Let joy take root across borders