El diseñador ambiental contemporáneo: Walt Disney Imagineering. Procesos técnicos y arquitectónicos en tres escalas para la alteración perceptiva.

The thesis presents Walt Disney Imagineering as an interdisciplinary consortium, wherein architects, designers, filmmakers, sociologists, and engineers converge synergistically, embodying the pioneering role of the ‘environmental designer’ within contemporary discourse. These creative practitioners, through the application of both technical and artistic processes, wield the capacity not only to manipulate the physical morphology of a space but also to exert influence over the perceptual and sensory experiences of the surrounding environment. The research is distinctly oriented toward a meticulous inquiry into the physical and environmental instantiation of spaces designated for thematic entertainment, as conceptualized by Walt Disney Imagineering, with a nuanced emphasis on the technical and creative processes that facilitated the inception of the emblematic Disneyland theme park in Los Angeles.

The first section of the document establishes a theoretical framework substantiating the conceptualization of Walt Disney Imagineering as a contemporary paradigm of the environmental designer. It commences with the evolving definition of the environmental design concept and undertakes a discerning examination of the genesis and progression of Walt Disney Imagineering, evolving from its nascent origins as a group of amateur filmmakers to its metamorphosis into a meticulously organized, multidisciplinary corporate entity. This segment delves profoundly into the organizational structure, roles, and creative processes, emphasizing their pivotal significance analogous to the tangible fruition encapsulated within the theme park. Concurrently, the positioning of Walt Disney Imagineering and Disneyland within the lineage of urban and architectural structures devoted to entertainment is elucidated.

The subsequent segment delves into the architectural and urban technical processes orchestrated by Walt Disney Imagineering within theme parks. This section systematically analyzes three dimensions of environmental design within the precincts of Disneyland. Initially, it scrutinizes the apparatus and its interrelation with architectural mediation, accentuating the criticality of intellectual property documentation. Subsequently, interior spaces are methodically explored through the lens of `dark rides’, elucidating the complete isolation of visitors to immerse them within immersive narratives. Technical processes germane to two distinct `dark rides are subjected to scrutiny. Finally, pivotal concepts that demarcate outdoor and urban spaces within the park are expounded, providing a detailed exposition of the thematic areas inherent to Disneyland and unveiling the logistical infrastructure latent beneath the parks superficial stratum.

This segment culminates with an exhaustive analysis of the interconnection between these technical processes and the metropolis of Los Angeles, meticulously charting the evolution of this relationship from the conceptualization of the phenomenon to its contemporary manifestation. Emphasis is placed on underscored impacts attributable to Walt Disney Imagineering on the urban landscape, coupled with its substantive contribution to the evolutionary trajectory of the urban experiential paradigm in Los Angeles over temporal progression.