052 FOCUS
Architect of dreams
Creating a fantasy world has plenty of down-to-earth challenges, discovers Kay Hill
THERE ARE FEW PEOPLE who can honestly say that they are working in their dream job, but John Burton, 31, is definitely one of those lucky few. Te lure of a role at Merlin Magic Making, the in-house creative team behind the design of the UK’s top theme parks, was so strong that it dragged him away from conventional architecture. Now creative lead at Merlin Magic Making, responsible for projects including the brand new 11,000 sq m World of Jumanji at Chessington World of Adventures, Burton has absolutely no regrets about his career move. His dad was an architect and Burton had always intended to follow in his footsteps, completing his
M.Arch Part 1 and 2 at Birmingham City University. Between the two qualifications he spent a year as an architectural assistant at Leisure Concepts as part of O’Neill Architects. Working on holiday parks including Havens and Butlins gave him a love for the leisure industry, and when he returned to study for his Part 2 he combined it with working for National Sea Life Centre, part of Merlin Entertainments. ‘My two parallel interests started to come together,’ he recalls. ‘I was about five months away from taking my Part 2 when I saw a job came up at Merlin Magic Making’s creative division. I applied and it was nearly six months of really intensive application procedures, which is probably not surprising as there are only three of these creative roles working on Merlin’s theme parks, so it was very niche. For me it was my absolute dream job; it was exactly what I wanted to do, and I didn’t need to get the final part of the qualification to be able to do it.’ He has no regrets about walking away with a Distinction in his Part 2 but without a Part 3. ‘Now I’m like the conductor of an orchestra, coordinating architects, engineers and theme park creatives,’ he says with a grin.
World of Jumanji, which opened in May, includes the only Jumanji-themed rollercoaster in existence, the white knuckle Mandrill Mayhem, which flips visitors upside down while dodging the hazards of the jungle and spiralling up to the 17m Jaguar Shrine, where those who manage to keep their eyes open will see the stone glow, just like in the movie. It may be a pure fantasy, but building a world like this is as real as any other major building project, Burton explains.
‘When I was studying at university we were never told just to create a building. It was always about telling a cultural story – which is exactly what we are doing within a theme park, but more obvious. We are creating both a built
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