HANDBOOK
VASILIS ROIDOS
WIZARDING LONDON AN URBAN ADVENTURE
WIZARDING LONDON AN URBAN ADVENTURE
VASILIS ROIDOS PROJECT THESIS SUPERVISOR: POLYXENI MANTZOU JULY 2018 DEMOCRITUS UNIVERSITY OF THRACE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING
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START:
FLYING ABOVE LONDON
CHAPTER 1:
THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX HQ
CHAPTER 2:
LONDON UNDERGROUND
CHAPTER 3:
THE MINISTRY HEARING
CHAPTER 4:
DURMSTRANG SHIP
CHAPTER 5: DIAGON ALLEY
CHAPTER 6: KNIGHT BUS
FINISH:
KING’S CROSS STATION
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1881 Albus Dumbledore is born c.1400s Beedle the Bard writes his tales
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1926 The adventures of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them take place 1897 Newt Scamander is born
1927 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald takes place
1927 Newt Scamander’s book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is published
1952 Kennilworthy Whisp’s Quidditch Through the Ages published
1945 Duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald
1991 Harry Potter starts Hogwarts 1980 July 31 Harry Potter is born
1991 - 2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone takes place
1992-3 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets takes place
1994-5 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire takes place
1993 - 4 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban takes place
1996-7 Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince takes place
1995 - 6 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix takes place
1997 - 8 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows takes place
1998 Battle of Hogwarts
2011 Pottermore launches in beta
2017 19 years later epilogue from Deathly Hallows takes place 2017 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child begins
2018 Wizarding London conceptualized
Wizarding London A themed urban experience based on narrative and interaction, forming a story in the three-dimensional space of the city of London.
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London Foldable Map A map of the city of London, with the regions and thematic chapters, is given to each player.
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Smartphone App For a complete magic experience, before starting, each player has to install an application on his/her personal smartphone.
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START RIDE: FLYING ABOVE LONDON
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The starting point of the experience is Bernard Park, one of the largest in Islington borough, which offers a wide range of sports facilities and playgrounds.
BERNARD PARK, ISLINGTON, N1
Starting Point
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Zip Line Tower Inside the park stands a tower of a total height of 65 meters and a shape inspired by the turrets of Hogwarts’ Quidditch pitch. Its construction consists of a metallic frame and from its highest level starts the ride of the zip line.
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Elevator Access Access to the tower’s upper levels is through an elevator, located inside the net construction.
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Can’t we go up to the Zip Line tower mom? Please!
Have fun!
Observation Deck At a height of 60 meters a level is created that offers a unique view of the city.
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Safety First A staff member secures the player with the protective equipment, connects him to the Zip Line and gives him a broomstick.
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CHAPTER 1 THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX HEADQUARTERS
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Players land on a construction in the center of the raised Claremont Square and a staff member helps them remove the protective equipment.
CLAREMONT SQ, CLERKENWEL, N1
The Landing
‘They dismounted on a patch of unkempt grass in the middle of a small square. The grimy fronts of the surrounding houses were not welcoming; some of them had broken windows, glimmering dully in the light from the street-lamps, paint was peeling from many of the doors, and heaps of rubbish lay outside several sets of front steps.’ 29
What a ride!
Notification Alerts Making use of locative media technology, the application displays site-specific alerts, guiding the players.
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The Deluminator As the player approaches the lampost’s bluetooth range, his smartphone acts as a deluminator and switches the lamp off. Meanwhile, this interaction triggers a hidden printer inside the mailbox and a card appears in the letters slot.
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CLAREMONT SQUARE N1
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CLAREMONT SQUARE N1
Where’s the right place?
Printed Address The player eventually has the address of the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.
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NUMBER 26, CLAREMONT SQUARE
Triggered Narrations Depending on the location, the player has the ability to hear authentic audiobook narratives as well as various sound effects.
‘...α battered door emerged out of nowhere between numbers eleven and thirteen, followed swiftly by dirty walls and grimy windows. It was as though an extra house had inflated, pushing those on either side out of its way.’ 38
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CLAREMONT SQUARE N1
Order’s Headquarters Players can enter a specially designed house and explore the themed rooms*: a. Hallway b. Drawing Room c. Harry’s Bedroom d. Kitchen
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* Some spaces of the house are supposed to house supporting functions, while the rooms can be changed and decorated according to each season (eg Christmas).
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‘Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers —’
A Strange Welcoming As soon as the players enter the entrance hall, the portrait of Sirius’ mother welcomes them, screaming and yelling.
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The Black Family Tree Players can have a look at the original tapestry with the Black family tree. In addition, special QR codes, that can be scanned with the app, give them access to exclusive online content.
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Boggart in the Writing Desk A trapped Boggart makes the writing desk rattling and shaking.
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The Self-playing Piano As soon as someone enters the room, the piano begins to play “Für Elise” on its own.
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Phineas Nigellus’s Portrait The old Headmaster of Hogwarts appears in his portrait as soon as the players enter the room and begins to chat with them.
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‘— they’ve changed the time and venue — it starts at eight o’clock now and it’s down in old Courtroom Ten —’
Α Head in the Fire The head of Sirius appears inside the burning fire and informs them that they must go directly to the Ministry of Magic for the Disciplinary Hearing.
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CHAPTER 2 RIDE: LONDON UNDERGROUND
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ANGEL
Underground Station Players arrive at Angel’s station in order to board the underground train that will take them to central London.
‘The run-down streets were almost deserted, but when they arrived at the miserable little Underground station they found it already full of early morning commuters.’ 57
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Where do we have to take off?
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WESTMINSTER
Wizarding Posters As the player navigates inside the station, posters of the Wizarding world replace the billboards.
‘They got off at a station in the very heart of London, swept from the train in a tide of besuited men and women carrying briefcases. Up the escalator they went, through the ticket barrier, and emerged onto a broad street lined with imposing-looking buildings, already full of traffic.’ 62
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PARLIAMENT STREET SW1
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New Location Found By scanning the map through the application, the spot of the next location appears with the augmented reality technology.
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WHITEHALL SW1
Pavement Markers Special markers placed on the sidewalks guide the player through the urban fabric.
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CHAPTER 3 THE MINISTRY HEARING
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WHITEHALL PLACE SW1
Visitor’s Entrance A red telephone booth located on an alley in central London marks the entrance to the Ministry of Magic.
‘The farther they walked, the smaller and less imposing the buildings became, until finally they reached a street that contained several rather shabby-looking offices, a pub, and an overflowing dumpster.’ 75
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Inside the Booth Players enter the booth in groups of three. As soon as the door closes, they must type in the phone device the correct five-digit number:
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‘Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business.’ 77
SCOTLAND PLACE SW1
An Unexpected Fall The telephone booth is a camouflaged lift, which lands abruptly in the basement of the adjoining building.
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‘They reached the bottom of the steps and ran along yet another corridor, which bore a great resemblance to that which led to Snape’s dungeon at Hogwarts, with rough stone walls and torches in brackets. The doors they passed here were heavy wooden ones with iron bolts and keyholes.’
Ministry’s Basement The players find themselves in a dark corridor full of doors leading to the various courts of the Ministry of Magic.
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‘‘So silly of me. But it sounded for a teensy moment as though you were suggesting that the Ministry of Magic had ordered an attack —’
Talking Holograms Depending on where the player stands in the room, he/she triggers three-dimensional holograms of the judges.
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CHAPTER 4 RIDE: DURMSTRANG SHIP
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EMBANKMENT PIER
All Aboard At the pier players can find the three-masted ship of Durmstrang, waiting them for a thematic route in the Thames river.
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WOW! We’ re approaching an island!
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RIVER THAMES, SOUTHBANK, SE1
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Thames Island An artificial island stands like a hill in the center of the river, covered with trees and dense vegetation. A slit allows the ship to enter the cavernous interior.
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Hidden Place Inside, in a foggy scenery full of rocks and moss, the figures of Merpeople emerge.
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As the ship approaches London Bridge, huge tentacles emerge from the water.
RIVER THAMES, SOUTHWARK, SE1
Something in the Water
It’s the Giant Squid!
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TOWER PIER
Disembarkment Players disembark at Tower pier, in order to continue their journey on foot.
Off we go now... That was intense!
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CHAPTER 5 THE DIAGON ALLEY
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LEADENHALL MARKET Shopping Area Players arrive at Leadenhall’s covered market. After exchange their money with wizarding money at Gringotts Bank, they can tour and shop at the following stores: a. Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes b. Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions c. Flourish and Blotts d. Gringotts Wizarding Bank e. Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour f. Ollivanders g. Quality Quidditch Supplies h. The Leaky Cauldron i. Rosa Lee Teabag j. Scribbulus Writing Instruments k. Borgin and Burkes
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Interactive Wands From Olivander’s shop, players can buy an interactive wand, which connects with their smartphone via bluetooth. Players will have the chance to use this wand later.
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CHAPTER 6 RIDE: KNIGHT BUS
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KNIGHT BUS
Leadnehall Market
Emergency Transport
King’s Cross Station
Just outside the market stops the Knight Bus, the triple-decker, purple transportation vehicle. Players hop on in order to travel to King’s Cross.
‘Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve —.’
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NEWBURY STREET EC1
Temperature Falls As the bus turns and gets into a narrow alley, the temperature in the interior falls sharply.
This alley looks creepy... OMG! It’s freezing!
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Dementors in Central London Suddenly the bus stops and Dementors appear from nowhere. In order to drive them away, players will have to cast the correct spell from a list.
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Spell Casting The formation of the spell can be made by the players either by drawing the movement in the application, or by forming it in the air with their interactive wand.
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FINISH KING’S CROSS STATION
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PLATFORM 9 3/3, KING’S CROSS STATION Harry Potter Shop Players end up on the platform 9 3/4 where is the gift shop and the famous disappearing cart.
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Memories Mapped At the end of the tour, the sites that players have visited, as well as the photos they have taken, are collected on a digital interactive map.
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THE MAGIC NEVER ENDS...