18/10/2026
đ Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, founder of the OMA firm and later known for spectacular buildings such as the CCTV headquarters in Beijing and the Casa da MĂșsica in Porto, was already famous for his unconventional ideas in the 1980s. He also submitted a design for Euro Disney â a concept that stood out clearly from the more classic hotel plans.
đ His model shows a hotel with curved shapes, water features and a striking bridge structure. The centrepiece was a light-flooded atrium that allowed the interior and exterior spaces to flow into one another. Particularly striking were the bridge that spanned the water above the building and the open layout, which almost seemed like an extension of the landscape.
đșđž Koolhaas did not use obvious symbols or images of nature to convey the connection to America that Disney demanded for all designs competing for the individual building sites in the area, but rather urbanity and openness. The interplay of glass, space and transitions was reminiscent of large American buildings made of steel and glass â symbols of modernity, vastness and technological progress. His design was intended as an architectural statement: experimental, dynamic, but less ânarrativeâ than many other concepts.
đš The project was intended for the construction site of the central hotel area, where the Sequoia Lodge was later built. While Grumbach's hotel was thematically oriented towards North American national parks, Koolhaas' vision would have been a kind of urban island within the resort â multi-layered, abstract, designed from the inside out.
đšâđš Ultimately, Disney decided against this design. It was too complex and not accessible enough for a Disney resort, where hotels were also intended to function as themed worlds of experience. Koolhaas' contribution thus remains part of those fascinating âDisney that never wasâ stories â a hotel that would have given Disneyland Paris a completely different face.
