Paleolithic water park Cantabria Infinita

Cantabria is an autonomous region in northern Spain, internationally renowned for being the region with the highest concentration of cave paintings in the world. Of the 60 sites of this art, 10 have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Among them, the famous Altamira Caves, whose first paintings, made during the Upper Palaeolithic period, date back some 36,000 years. This universal heritage is undoubtedly one of Cantabria’s main tourist attractions. So, the design of the first and only water park in the region, which the regional tourist promotion company Cantur has entrusted to Amusement Logic, must take into account such a singular and relevant fact.

The Palaeolithic age is the central axis that unifies and gives meaning to the whole installation, from beginning to end, from the smallest details to the entire ensemble. Therefore, it is not a conventional water park, but has a fundamental thematic component. After all, the identity of the towns and their people lies in their culture and history. So, among streams, lagoons, rivers, waterfalls, figurative elements and, of course, caves whose names are taken from the sites that make the region famous, the Torrelavega water park will be a real journey through time for visitors. However, beyond the tribute it offers to these signs of identity and the community’s culture and history, we have conceived the project as a tribute to its surroundings as well.

Indeed, in response to trends in public demand, from the outset we have prioritised the environmental quality of the aquatic complex. To this end, our design has been developed with energy efficiency and sustainability criteria, as well as rational use and recycling of water. We have also taken the utmost care to ensure that the project has a minimum impact on the environment in which it is located. In addition to preserving the existing vegetation on the plot, we have used only native flora for the gardening and landscaping. In this way, we contribute to the harmony and, therefore, to the conservation of the site’s biodiversity. Furthermore, the architectural design of the service buildings, with organic forms and green roofs, is in line with current trends in sustainable architecture. In short, the park’s naturalist character has guided the creative process throughout.

But our design work is also oriented towards the water park’s operational optimisation with criteria of viability, ease of operation, profitability, and user comfort and safety. It is precisely these criteria that determine our zoning, and the communication established between the different areas: the proximity between the parking area and the service buildings, concentration of public uses in the access and exit area and those of operation (warehouses, offices, maintenance workshops) at the ends, separate circulations, clear identification of the recreational areas, rational separation between the relaxation areas and the more active ones…

Or the strategic location of the children’s area next to the main entrance, so that families do not have to walk far, or climb up or down ramps or stairs to reach their destination; moreover, the family pool area is visually and physically connected to the children’s area and is located in the centre of the park so that young children cannot slip away from their parents or the monitors. If we follow the route through the southern part of the complex, we find the slides area, an area of great activity whose main users are young people and teenagers, the most active in the park, isolated as much as possible from the rest of the areas and with a configuration that generates its own closed circulations.

Canyoning Parks are artificial canyoning circuits, supervised by specialised instructors, for practicing adventure sports in controlled and safe conditions. Steep climbs, jumps, chasms, abseiling, waterfalls, rock slides, sport climbing, potholing… All these activities will take place in the Canyoning Park in Torrelavega, the only attraction of its kind on the Iberian Peninsula. In this particular case, the circuit we have designed has two main routes of varying difficulty, so that it can be enjoyed by both experienced users and those who are new to this sport, whether they are children or adults. The monitors, as well as ensuring that the activities are carried out properly and safely, speed up the transition from one station to another and optimise the circuit’s capacity. In addition, visitors’ companions will also be able to enjoy the show from the viewpoints that we have provided for them. The Canyoning Park in Torrelavega is undoubtedly one of the many aspects that make the Cantabria Infinita Water Park a unique leisure and tourist complex.

In short, the exhaustive work that Amusement Logic has developed for Cantur envelops all the disciplines of the trade: creative development, architectural design, market and feasibility study, production of attractions, construction and engineering… All of this with the aim of materialising a exclusive project that once built, will become a landmark of regional and also international importance.