Paul Hutton Receives Themed Entertainment Association's Catalyst Award
Retired Cuningham Director of Regenerative Design, Paul Hutton, has been honored with the Themed Entertainment Association's Catalyst Award.
As part of the TEA's 30th Annual Thea Awards, the award recognizes individuals, companies, or organizations that significantly benefit, uplift, and inspire the entire themed entertainment industry. According to the nomination committee, the themed entertainment industry currently stands at a pivotal moment, where the pursuit of artistic excellence intertwines inexorably with the imperative of regenerative design. Paul was selected for his “multi-decade career dedicated to integrating sustainable building strategies with creative design.”
“I am honored to receive the Catalyst Award,” Hutton said. “It is concrete evidence of our accomplishments at Cuningham and reinforces our commitment to continue striving for positive change within not just the themed entertainment industry, but the entire built environment.”
Paul played an important role in developing Themed Entertainment Sustainability Summit (TESS). Since 2008, global leisure and entertainment industry leaders have gathered annually to plan sustainable design for theme park development, create accessible standards in the LEED system, and provide a mentorship platform for mentor-based networking.
“For those who work tirelessly to make the world a better place, there is often little certainty about the impact of our efforts. Knowing that TESS has indeed made a difference, and that our idea for a theme park rating system is beginning to gain traction, motivates us to persist.”
Paul Hutton
Director of Regenerative Design
In 2021, Paul joined EXP executives to unveil Resilient and Innovative Design for Efficient Solutions (RIDES), a new green rating system specially designed for themed entertainment venues. RIDES is a platform to benchmark and reward regenerative and resilient measures in an industry where sustainability has historically been an afterthought. Learn more about the creation of RIDES and its mission here.
Want to relive the latest TESS? Check out full recordings of all the sessions from TESS 2.X in 2021 to learn how the themed entertainment industry is driving environmental goals by embracing regenerative design and positioning itself to reap the benefits of innovation.
