OTL
Design-build construction company Outside the Lines, Inc. has expanded in the southwest with a new office in Arlington.
Headquartered in Southern California since 2007, OTL has a long history of designing, building and constructing large-scale entertainment-focused water features for commercial properties, as well as realistic rockwork and themed environments. To date, the firm has completed more than $200 million in projects across the US and $30 million across the state of Texas.
“Our new office helps position us to meet the continually growing need for entertainment driven amenities in all kinds of commercial properties throughout the Southwest region,” said Barry Caylor, OTL VP of business development. “With the increasing capabilities of new technology, we can help create memorable experiences for consumers that are completely unique, so we know there is a huge potential for more growth for OTL in the Texas area.”
The “skyrocketing” demand for entertainment driven amenities, according to the company, has coincided with the launch of its new proprietary AI technology, said J. Wickham Zimmerman, company CEO.
OTL has designed and constructed several show fountains in retail and mixed-use properties across Texas, including the special effects show fountain at Texas Live!, the 200,000-square-foot entertainment venue in Arlington that connects the Texas Rangers’ Global Life Field and the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium.
OTL also created the tallest interactive water feature in the world, the Nancy Best Fountain, at Klyde Warren Park, and the Illuvia fountain at EpicCentral, a 172-acre entertainment destination in Grand Prairie.
EpicCentral is a mixed-use project developed in partnership with the city of Grand Prairie, which centered the project around the Illuvia fountain to help draw interest and increase foot traffic onsite, and to create a welcoming space for the community to gather.
The AI-powered technology — Aquarius Interactive™ — is in use at Illuvia. It enables guests to interact directly with the water feature. Without having to touch any equipment or enter the fountain, the system detects users’ location and motion and responds with displays of water, lights, and effects. The technology also captures valuable data, such as foot traffic, length of stay, and more.
Since opening, Illuvia has received 30,000 visitors a week in peak summer season, “and we believe the addition of this new interactive technology will increase site visits, and repeat visits, even more,” Zimmerman said.