Renaissance at Colony Park, Phase II

Ridgeland, Mississippi

Spectacular show fountain provides unique visual and concert-quality experience at open-air destination retail center outside of Jackson, Mississippi.

In Fall 2019, Ridgeland, Mississippi – a suburb of Jackson – welcomed the completion of Phase II of Renaissance at Colony Park, an open-air destination retail center co-owned and developed by The Mattiace Company.

Influenced by European and Mediterranean architectural styles, the center features a distinctive lifestyle Main Street concept marked by brand-name and upmarket boutiques in an elegant outdoor shopping plaza featuring cafes, play areas, and an iconic centerpiece: a brand-new dancing show fountain designed and constructed by OTL.

Equipped with cutting-edge audio, lighting, and effects, the new water feature delivers a unique visual and concert-quality experience via customized shows that transform this central gathering place into a hub of entertainment.

IDEA

OTL was tasked with delivering an experiential water feature that would add value by elevating the project to true destination status.

As the focal point of the new center, OTL wanted to make sure the fountain was site-specific and truly unique. Through a creative design twist, the fountain pays homage to the project’s Mississippi location by integrating the interwoven S’s that appear in the state’s logo; this well-known and well-loved symbol of the region is quickly recognized by the region’s residents.

OTL worked directly for the developer and in close coordination with general contractor Brasfield and Gorrie to bring the stakeholders’ vision for Phase II to life. As the fountain designers, OTL also worked hand-in-hand with the project’s design team: site architects Wier Boerner Allin Architecture, landscape architect Trent Rhodes, and project architects Dean & Dean/Associates Architects.

The spectacular show fountain features 62 nozzles that shoot water up to 35 feet in the air as well as robotic, multi-axis nozzles, illuminated by over 200 color-changing LED lights. An iconic central fountain jet is able to reach a stunning height of 100 feet, making the landmark fountain visible from the adjacent interstate, I-55.

OTL also designed and installed a state-of-the art audio system comprising eight two-way speakers, four subwoofers, and six amplifiers in order to ensure concert-quality entertainment for guests at the Renaissance. Several of the speakers and theatrical lights are mounted on buildings – a strategy that delivers the best sound quality over a large area while simultaneously deepening the entertainment value of the fountain by integrating surrounding retailers and buildings so that guests feel engaged from a wide variety of viewpoints within the center.

In addition, OTL designed and choreographed the fountain’s water shows to move beautifully to a wide variety of music, offering the opportunity to easily customize shows by season or event.  Fountain elements and effects can also be adjusted over time. The OTL team built in the ability to add nozzles and move equipment around in the basin, allowing new effects to be created when needed without any demolition.  All show equipment is controllable both on-site and remotely via tablet or cell phone, giving the property owners and managers easy access to maintain the shows’ relevance for years to come.

Another thing – which may or may not be worth mentioning – is that we built in the ability through added infrastructure to add nozzles and move equipment around in the basin to create new effects without the need to demolish any of the feature.

IMPACT

The show fountain at Renaissance at Colony Park, Phase II is the entertainment hotspot and gathering space for this one-of-a-kind destination retail and dining environment.

OTL’s design tribute to the state’s logo adds a sense of place to the center, while the visibility and prominence of the fountain’s dramatic shows attract the attention of shoppers and guests both near and far.

Drawing upon its deep design and construction expertise and use of innovative equipment and technology, the OTL team successfully delivered a sustainable, customizable, and stunning water feature that creates tremendous value for the center’s owners and tenants, while delivering an incomparable entertainment experience for guests of all ages to enjoy.