Techniques for Hiding Show Buildings

[DrStarlander]

In a recent post about the Ministry of Magic queue at Epic Universe, a preview guest posted a theory that the illusion of the interior of the MoM may be achieved by using mirrors, which got me thinking about using mirrors at a large scale, and reminded me of a building I've long been fascinated by on Cauhenga Blvd. near Universal Studios Hollywood because of the visual trick it plays. By combining a mirrored surface with an outward angle, it reflects the street below in an unexpected way: when you look at the building you see cars driving by.

That made me wonder: could mirrored surfaces be used to hide buildings? (e.g., show buildings and backstage buildings in general)? With some research I found some examples of how mirrored surfaces can make a building nearly disappear or diminish it greatly, by reflecting the sky, surroundings, trees, etc.. Here are examples.

So, the the idea here is that an exterior surface material commonly used on office buildings, perhaps with a slight angle either to reflect the sky or reflect the landscaping below the building, could be used to "hide" the building. I'm not sure this has been done in theme parks but "hiding buildings" is not a common goal in architecture! (Except in some of the nature-setting buildings in these examples where the goal is to not spoil the views.)

I did a diagram using an Epic Universe building to show how the effect could be used someday.

 

[KlownzNskullZ]

In a recent post about the Ministry of Magic queue at Epic Universe, a preview guest posted a theory that the illusion of the interior of the MoM may be achieved by using mirrors, which got me thinking about using mirrors at a large scale, and reminded me of a building I've long been fascinated by on Cauhenga Blvd. near Universal Studios Hollywood because of the visual trick it plays. By combining a mirrored surface with an outward angle, it reflects the street below in an unexpected way: when you look at the building you see cars driving by.

That made me wonder: could mirrored surfaces be used to hide buildings? (e.g., show buildings and backstage buildings in general)? With some research I found some examples of how mirrored surfaces can make a building nearly disappear or diminish it greatly, by reflecting the sky, surroundings, trees, etc.. Here are examples.

So, the the idea here is that an exterior surface material commonly used on office buildings, perhaps with a slight angle either to reflect the sky or reflect the landscaping below the building, could be used to "hide" the building. I'm not sure this has been done in theme parks but "hiding buildings" is not a common goal in architecture! (Except in some of the nature-setting buildings in these examples where the goal is to not spoil the views.)

I did a diagram using an Epic Universe building to show how the effect could be used someday.

It could, but then you are dealing with a natural light source which I’m going to assume will not let the effect work 100%
And the mirrors would get dirty and all that. LOL

 

[DrStarlander]

It could, but then you are dealing with a natural light source which I’m going to assume will not let the effect work 100%
And the mirrors would get dirty and all that. LOL

The issues you raise could very much be be valid. But the reason I showed photos of actual buildings with mirrored surfaces is to show it does "work" in daylight. What works about it is that the mirrored surface reflects the dynamic level of ambient light, which camouflages it. If it's a bright day, it is bright. If it's sunset, it reflects sunset colors and light level.

As far as how dirty it would get, it's a standard building material so the maintenance needs are well known. While a painted mural would also get dirty or the colors would fade and need repainting, the mirrored surface would have it's own maintenance needs, which would include cleaning.

A decent example of this is the World of Motion building at Epcot. When you look at the mirrored surface areas they largely disappear because you see the sky and trees reflected. And that's with no angling to maximize the sky or foliage. The point here is the same effect can be used on the sides or backside of a show building or hotel or whatever to achieve the same building-hiding result.