Honor Award
The Point at Cal-Expo
Location
Sacramento, CA
Client
Cal-Expo
Design Firm
Scenic Designs, Santa Rosa, CA
Design Team
Greg Duncan (Principal in Charge), Michael Mingoia, James Dowlen
Fabricators
Scenic Designs
Photographer
Michael Mingoia
The Point at Cal-Expo is a family entertainment complex that includes amusements from mini-golf and bumper boats to a video arcade and batting cages. Scenic Designs was asked to renovate and re-theme the existing park to a more updated, youthful orientation; the $55,000 budget included all signage, building theming, and décor. The designers treated existing structures as "signs" that indicated their function in a playful, wacky way – with minimal material outlays and using paint and their existing supply of scrap M.D.O. Very little virgin material was used, with the exception of larger signage and fiberglass golf clubs. In order to reflect the function of each amusement, a variety of graphic devices was used, including the transformation of the lighthouse into an over-scaled golf bag and the creation of anthropomorphic faces for the racetrack entry composed of car bumpers, hubcaps, steering wheels, and wiper blades.
Jury Comment
"This design can best be judged by appreciating its limited scope and budget. For $55,000, The Point at Cal-Expo was re-themed from a Desert Island/Castaways theme to a more updated, youthful orientation. A very successful re-theming and creative use of recycled materials makes this a winner."
"Sometimes so-called "high design" creates a tension that is impossible to sustain consistently, especially for the viewer. Environments like this, while being designed, are free of such tension and keep environments accessible while still being planned."