Forrec

FORREC Ltd

Type	Private company
Industry	Entertainment Design
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Number of employees	Approx. 120
Website	FORREC.COM

Forrec Ltd. (customarily styled FORREC) is a Toronto-based entertainment design firm that designs and plans theme parks, water parks, resorts, leisure destinations, and museums.^[1] They work with clients all around the world including high-profile brands like Universal Studios, LEGOLAND, Nickelodeon, BBC Worldwide and Six Flags, as well as Chinese brands Wanda Group and Chimelong Group.^[2] Projects that FORREC designed have been built in 20 countries on six continents over three decades.^[3]

Company history

Pre-FORREC

1961-1965: Sasaki, Strong & Associates

Japanese-American landscape architect, Hideo Sasaki 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^[4][5] and designed Nathan Philips Square.^[6]

1965-1970: Richard Strong Associates Ltd.

Richard Strong founded Richard Strong Associates in 1965 but continued to partner with Hideo Sasaki on numerous projects.^[7] Together they designed La Ronde, the amusement park for Expo 67 in Montreal.^[8]

1970-1973: Merged to form Strong Moorhead Sigsby, Ltd.

Merging with Australian landscape architecture professor, Donald Guy Sigsby,^[9] and Toronto-based landscape architect Steven Moorhead, Richard Strong became president of Strong Moorhead Sigsby, Ltd. The firm was 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:^[10]

• 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 start his own firm in Australia,^[11] a partnership formed between Strong and Moorhead. Most of the work from these 5 years was based in Ontario. During this time the company focused on urban renewal, recreational land planning, and landscape design for urban parks, like Devonian Square^[12] in downtown Toronto. One of their largest projects was The Thunder Bay Waterfront Park Study plan that took years to complete. The 28-page report was well received and was used as the basis of development for years to come.^[13] The pair continued to produce industry related books and articles, including:

• Ryerson Polytechnical Institute: Landscape Development (1975)^[14]

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.^[15] A series of employee promotions and company mergers adjusted the name and management make-up of the company for almost a decade.^[16] In 1978, the firm designed Canada’s Wonderland, the country’s first major theme park and later, in 1981, the World Water Park at West Edmonton Mall.^[17][18]

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".^[17][19] The company's business model also became a private limited with share capital.^[20] The choice to incorporate FORREC was unusual for a design firm, where partnerships are more the norm. To keep ownership fluid, a policy was created that required shareholders to begin selling their shares at age 60.^[21]

1985-1992: A North-American focus

During this time, FORREC’s projects were mostly in Canada but they attracted a lot of international attention. They were hired by USAA Real Estate Company, a subsidiary of the USAA insurance company, and Gaylord Entertainment Company, a company which owned Opryland USA, to assist in the design of a theme park in San Antonio, at the time known as Fiesta Texas.^[22] Soon after, Universal Studios hired FORREC to design their theme park in Florida, which opened in 1990.^[23]

1992-2015: Global projects

FORREC was soon consulting with companies all around the world with 90% of their work coming from outside of Canada.^[1] Among many other global projects, FORREC was hired to transform the Beijing National Aquatics Center from the 2008 summer Olympics into a family water park called the Happy Magic Watercube.^[24]

2015-Present: Continued growth

In 2015, BBC Worldwide asked FORREC to create a series of prototypes for four of their most famous brands – Top Gear, CBeebies, BBC Earth and Walking with Dinosaurs.^[25] FORREC has also worked on attractions themed around World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

Selected Projects

Theme parks

• Canada's Wonderland, Vaughn, Ontario, Canada^[26]
• Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, United States
• Everland Theme Park, Seoul, Korea^[27]
• F1-X Theme Park, Dubai, UAE^[28]
• LEGOLAND Deutschland, Gunzburg, Germany
• MOI Park, Istanbul, Turkey^[29]
• Nickelodeon Universe, Bloomington, Minnesota, United States
• Ontario Place, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Oriental Imperial Valley Theme Park, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
• Playland^[30]
• Six Flags, Dubai, UAE^[31]
• Universal Studios, Orlando, Floriday, USA
• Wanda Nanchang Outdoor Theme Park, Nanchang, China^[32]
• Wanda Xishuangbanna International Resort, Xishuangbanna, China

Water parks

• Caribbean Bay Everland Resort, Seoul, Korea^[33]
• Center Parcs Domaine des Trois Forets, Moselle, France^[34]
• Costa Caribe, PortAventura, Tarragona, Spain^[35]
• Dawang Deep Pit Water World, Changsha China^[36]
• Happy Magic Watercube, Beijing, China
• Lotte World Kimhae Water Park, Kimhae, Korea
• Nickelodeon Family Suites Resort Water Park, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States
• Senbo Green Park Resort, China
• Wanda Xishuangbanna Water Park, Xishuangbanna, China^[37]
• West Edmonton Mall, World Water Park, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Mixed use developments

• Annapurna Studios, Hyderabad, India^[38]
• Azerbaijan Dream Land Plaza, Baku, Azerbaijan^[39]
• Circus City, Zhengding, China
• Dubai Wonderland, Dubai, UAE^[40]
• Fortune Bay Tourism City, Hengqin Island, China
• Garden City, Wa Fang Dian, China
• Grand Galaxy Mall, Jakarta, Indonesia^[41]
• Marina Walk, Herzila, Israel
• Qingdao International Tourist City, Qingdao, China
• Thanh Xuan Park, Hanoi, Vietnam^[42]
• Wave City Centre, Noida, India^[43]

Other

• Dreamland (Egypt)
• St. Elizabeth Village^[44]

Awards

2016

• Architecture in Perspective 31 from the American Society of Architectural Illustrators^[45]
  • Taidgh McClory Rendering Juror Award to Gary Chan^[46]

2015

• Architecture in Perspective 30^[47]
  • 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 - Recognizing architects who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in the profession, education and/or in the community^[48]

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^[49]
• Dream Design: Waterpark Renovation Honor for Happy Magic Watercube, Beijing from Aquatics International^[50]
• Architecture in Perspective 28^[51]
  • 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^[52]
• 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^[49]

External links

• Official website

References

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