Designing a rollercoaster in a tiger enclosure

Engineers are involved in a myriad of fascinating projects in different fields every day - and this one has to be up there when it comes to having a great story to tell about your day job.

Thrill seekers experiencing Tiger Rock rollercoaster at Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey might be surprised about the engineering behind this dramatic theme park ride. Not only did engineers design a 50-foot tiger head over the log flume ride, but they also needed to factor in how live tigers would interact with their new environment.

What were the main challenges of designing  Tiger Rock?

The ride drops over a waterfall that is surrounded by tiger enclosures, so engineers had to include calculations in the design for how far tigers could jump. Part of the engineering behind the ride involved designing new homes for the animals.  

Meet the engineer

Michelle designs rides for her own theme park consultancy company, Firefly Creations. She decided to study Civil Engineering at the University of Surrey. She worked on bridge design and railways before bringing together the experience of those projects in a job at a theme park and zoo. In her role at Chessington World of Adventures, she managed projects from start to finish, from design, to construction and testing before opening to guests. She describes the job like being a conductor of an orchestra – making sure all the parts come together for a great experience.

Michelle now works as a Creative Project Director at her own theme park consultancy, creating rides, attractions and rollercoasters for theme parks.

How do you see theme park rides evolving in the future?

Every ride and attraction should be new and exciting, so I help develop new ways to keep the fun going. I am excited about how Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will shape theme park rides in the future.