Waterbom Bali sustainable waterpark celebrates 30th anniversary with expansion project for 2023

December 21, 2022

Waterbom Bali, voted Asia’s top waterpark by TripAdvisor’s Travellers Choice Awards 2022, is celebrating its 30^th anniversary with work commencing on stage one of a massive architecturally-designed sustainable expansion, set to open in 2023.

With sustainability at its core, Waterbom’s expansion will add 1.3 hectares to the park, with the expansion including a new tropical, natural lagoon pool and sunken pool bar with sun lounges submerged in the water, poolside gazebos, new restaurants, a winding slide tower centrepiece with cantilevered viewing platform, and of course new slides.

Waterbom works closely with Sustainability consultants to ensure every detail in the design will reduce their footprint and support their sustainability goals, such as the underground pumps and water pipes in the new tower and slides being strategically positioned and designed to ensure minimal water loss, and maximum water conservation. The tower roof will feature solar panels positioned optimally to capture maximum sunlight throughout the day and contribute solar energy to the park’s grid. A rainwater harvesting system will also be installed within the expansion and (as with the current park), energy and water saving initiatives will be implemented to work toward Waterbom’s net-zero goals.

Sayan Gulino, Chief Executive at Waterbom shares “Eco-tourism, sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint has always been the core of Waterbom Bali. We have consciously developed the waterpark to compliment the natural environment, introducing business practices that reduce waste while protecting Bali’s natural resources. As a business leader it is important to be passionate and believe in these values which will create a ripple eﬀect amongst employees, inspiring and encouraging them to act the same and be mindful about the environment.”

With original plans to launch the new slides and pool area in 2020, the COVID pandemic put this on hold. Instead the land next door to the park was transformed into a farm and garden area by the team, to provide veggies and fruit at ultra low prices to the 300 staﬀ members kept on during the pandemic closures. Since Bali’s borders re-opened in April 2022, the recovery process has been slow but steady, and as the park is ﬁlling with guests again, Waterbom is ready to grow organically in their Kuta location, and expand to oﬀer over five hectares of fun and eco-friendly water adventures.

With a collective vision from Waterbom’s Founder, Chief Executive and management team working closely with Australian-trained architect Conchita Blanco of Blanco Studio Bali, the focal point of the new space will be the sustainably-designed 20 metre tall slide tower, an impressive monument featuring a cantilevered viewing platform allowing guests to enjoy a tree-top view over the park and new lagoon pool area.

Blanco advises "I designed a tower which is intertwined between the slides and through the trees as one uniﬁed piece. I wanted to create a sense of continuity by designing an experience of moving in a circular direction as you would when you are inside the waterslides. We want the guest's journey to the top of the tower to be a sensory climb through nature, while winding around the slides."

New slides will take centre stage, with four new thrills to experience, as well as locally-made poolside bamboo gazebos, and group spots for friends and families to gather together within the gardens and enjoy the park.

The new expansion will be a continuation of the ethos to not cut down any trees in the construction of the park, (the original directive of the park’s Founder, Santo Gulino, 30 years ago when Waterbom opened) with the new addition honouring this philosophy by adapting the design around the existing trees. Working closely with Australian Bali-based landscape designer, Anton Clarke of Bali Landscape Company, a dense forest area will be created surrounding the new expansion with a mix of native species and tropical plants being hand-picked by Waterbom Chief Executive, Sayan Gulino in nearby West Java.

Guests can enjoy more of the tasty, premium comfort food that Waterbom is known for, with an open-air 80 seat restaurant being added, with new Pan-Asian, Indonesian and Western favourites made fresh daily from local ingredients at live cooking stations, as well as a new tree-house style coﬀee spot with a selection of beans from Pupuan and other regions in Bali and Flores.

Following Waterbom’s cultural values aligned with the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana (harmony with nature, people and spirituality) the design team consulted with a local Hindu priest and Waterbom staﬀ to design a new temple as part of the expansion, adapting elements from temple designs from diﬀerent regions in Bali and symbolising the ties to the island while showing appreciation for the happiness and abundance the park generates for guests and staﬀ.

With stage one scheduled to open in April 2023, (with a larger family and dedicated kid’s slide area slated as Stage 2 for end 2023) the park expansion ensures Waterbom remains a must-visit destination for both loyal fans and new tourists visiting the island, providing a tropical jungle oasis to escape the hustle and bustle of Kuta for a day.

More information at www.waterbom-bali.com

Image: Waterbom Bali 2023 Expansion renders

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