Mountain View Village, Phase II

In Riverton, Utah, located 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, sits CenterCal Properties’ Mountain View Village, a mixed-use development that offers retail, dining, and entertainment. The lifestyle center and community gathering place, which broke ground in 2019 and is being developed in phases, features a movie theater, restaurants, and nearly 100 retail tenants, as well as lush parks and parklets throughout the property.  

OTL had previously designed and constructed a magnificent fountain featuring “Majestic,” a bronze eagle sculpture created by artist Brian Keith, for Phase I of the 85-acre development and was ready for the task when we were asked to design and engineer a second water feature: a stunning show fountain for Phase II. In addition to offering dazzling displays to thrill audiences, this water feature would eventually be equipped with our own recently patented Aquarius Interactive™ AI technology, which allows guests to interact with and control the fountain in an unprecedented manner – simply by moving their hands or body.  

Idea 

The show fountain would be the expanded center’s new focal point, helping to draw in guests and visitors from near and far. 

Even though this was our second project at this site, OTL faced several challenges during the construction phase that we hadn’t encountered with the first project. First, this water feature’s unique design included a curved infinity edge on the backside with a waterfall on the front side. Our project team had to search extensively to find natural stone from the area that would be consistent with the design vision and also fit within the budget. We finally settled on material from a nearby stone supplier with whom we had worked on previous jobs in the area – satisfying our standard of using natural supplies that are native to the project area and utilizing local suppliers whenever possible. This is particularly important when sourcing heavy materials like stone, making it a sustainable practice. 

As the Phase II project progressed, our team was challenged with budget cuts. We were forced to reduce the number of pumps we had planned to use but were unable to cut the number of nozzles we had planned for without compromising the fountain’s show capabilities. Instead, the team created a custom-made manifold to combine several nozzles into a display rather than each nozzle controlling its own display. Because of our programming and choreography experience, OTL was able to accomplish this in a way that reduced costs while being indiscernible to the average guest.  

Based on what we learned from previous larger-scale projects, we also knew we would need adequate camera coverage for the Aquarius Interactive system that would soon be incorporated into the water feature; therefore, we ensured the high-quality cameras we installed were covering all angles of the curved fountain. The team was able to use part of a basement room adjacent to the fountain for the server and other equipment, which allows conditioned space for the equipment and seamless control for the AI technology. 

Impact 

The show fountain at Mountain View Village Phase II has become the third water feature in the nation to use Aquarius Interactive™ technology. With the AI technology installed and operating, guests are surprised when they discover their ability to direct the fountain’s movements like magic – without wands or any other devices. The project is like no other, bringing people from hundreds of miles around to Riverton.  

Further, this technology has the potential to be used for more than just putting on a spectacular show and creating a unique interactive experience. Because the cameras are detecting objects and capturing their motion, they are also capturing important data, such as foot traffic volume, and length of dwell time. This valuable data can be provided to the property’s stakeholders to help gauge and improve traffic flow and assess space efficiency.  

Additionally, there is opportunity for other creative applications as the technology can be integrated into any DMX-controlled system to creatively control water, light, fog, and sound, and it can be installed in existing water features for the same types of engagement that are available at Mountain View Village. 

With the completion of this project, Riverton now has a distinctive water feature that will only improve over time as the AI evolves and learns. The show fountain, with its colorful lights, amazing choreography and musical effects, serves as a one-of-kind attraction for Mountain View Village that will delight residents and visitors for many years to come.