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The Land Pavilion features exotic plant life and is dedicated to understanding how mankind can use and preserve the land for its benefit. In addition to being an entertainment and educational venue, it is also a demonstration, production, and research facility. Several large greenhouses on the six acre site produce fruits and vegetables that not only supply Epcot’s numerous restaurants; they are also used to develop high tech and high yield indoor plant growing techniques. An acre of the interior space is used for horticultural experiments in hydroponics, aeroponics, various irrigation methods, and integrated pest management. A boat ride takes guests through some of the fascinating experiments at the Sustainable Agriculture and Research Center, which has partnered with the Department of Agriculture and NASA on various projects, including developing methods of growing fresh produce in space.
Land Pavilion was an interesting project in that it spanned so many different types of activities. There was a small theater with animated figures, a 300-seat movie theater, a full service restaurant located on a rotating carousel, a large food court, and a boat ride that carries guests through the planted areas. We helped develop a number of specialized treatments for these activities. The theaters required sound control, including interior acoustics, HVAC, and on the animated figures. The movie theater required interior acoustics, HVAC, and noise control for the film projectors. These used the specialized bellows that we had developed. The boat ride had a number of scenes with special effects including very large blowers that blew air across a simulated wheat field scene in order to make the wheat wave. These blowers required extensive sound control, which did not impede the air flow. Space was tight because they were located in a rock work formation, which was part of the set. Large interior scene spaces required absorptive treatment on the ceilings and other surfaces that could be painted to blend into the scenery. The restaurant on the turntable required sound control in the turntable as well as HVAC control. The boat ride also required isolation of the pumps that propelled the vehicles.
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