University News Last updated 23 July
An Architecture graduate has been named as BCU’s Alumnus of the Year following on from a milestone in his career where he designed the UK’s tallest, fastest and most weightless rollercoaster.
John Burton graduated from BCU with a Bachelor of Architecture in 2013, before completing his Master of Architecture in 2016. Nowadays, he is the Senior Creative Lead at Merlin Entertainments.
He’s often referred to as the Rollercoaster King, and in 2024, he was behind the creation of Thorpe Park’s biggest ever project, ‘Hyperia’.
John has also been the lead creative for ‘The World of Juamanji’ land at Chessington World of Adventures. His other successful projects include ‘The Walking Dead: The Ride’ and ‘Derren Brown’s Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon’ at Thorpe Park, ‘Zog – Quest for The Golden Star’ and ‘Dragon Slayer’ at Warwick Castle, and ‘The Curse of Alton Manor’ and ‘Gangsta Granny The Ride’ at Alton Towers.
But John wasn’t always into thrill-seeking rides, and his love of the iconic computer game ‘Rollercoaster Tycoon’ was what led John to become who he is today.
He said: “Growing up, I was terrified of rollercoasters and theme parks. I was really lucky to be taken to places like Walt Disney World by my parents, but I would always be the kid crying and refusing to go on the rides. But something shifted in me when I started playing Rollercoaster Tycoon, which I picked up on a family trip to America.
“I was obsessed with it, as it was the first game that I’d played where I could really design and make stuff. Playing the game released a creative side in me, and I got hooked on the fantastical escapism of theme parks. They are inspiring, magical, and it’s a different world that takes you away from the realities of everything else.
“As I got older, I realised that the more rollercoasters you go on, the more you get used to them and your body just becomes immune to the sensations. You just don’t dread them anymore, and they become more fun than scary. But of course, there was no university course out there teaching you how to design rollercoasters.”
John grew up in the West Midlands and knew that he wanted to stay local for his university studies, and his love of rollercoasters and theme parks inspired John to apply for Architecture courses, but it wasn’t plain sailing.
He said: “It’s interesting looking back, because I remember when I first started looking at universities, and the idea of theme parks and working in entertainment was quite frowned upon in the Architecture world. A lot of universities were set on students designing things fit for purpose, which makes sense, but it felt like they thought that rollercoasters and theme parks don’t add anything to the world.
“At other universities, my portfolio was looked at incredibly differently to when I presented it at BCU. At BCU, my dreams were encouraged and the skills I got from both of my degrees set me up for whatever was to come in my future.
“Back then, the course was based on the Gosta Green campus, before moving to what is now the City Centre campus for my Master’s. Often, people ask me if I’m an Engineer by trade, and they’re always surprised when I say that I’m an Architect. That’s the best thing about doing a degree in something like Architecture, because it teaches you so many skills and a little bit of everything, and that’s what I have to do every day.
“In my role, I orchestrate creatively, but I also need a good understanding and knowledge of the engineering, how rides work, and the fundamentals. I work with fellow architects too and understand everything going into the project and how to read the plans that I’m presented with. When you look at jobs similar to mine now for the likes of Universal Studios or Disney, a huge amount of them are looking for people who studied Architecture.
“Alongside my undergraduate degree course, I also worked at the Sea Life Centre as an Entertainment and Tours Host, and I found working at a local attraction really useful.”
After graduating from BCU in 2013, John worked on projects at holiday parks across the UK, before returning to complete an MA. Whilst he was approaching the end of his postgraduate studies, he discovered his dream job.
He said: “After my BA, I had a year out working at Leisure Concepts, where I worked on projects for places like Forest Holidays, Butlins and Haven, as an Architecture Assistant. They saw that I had a huge passion for theme parks, and they knew that was where my excitement sat, so they started moving me on to projects which had more of an entertainment focus, whilst still using my architecture skills that I learned from my undergraduate degree.
“I then returned to BCU to complete my MA, which was helpful as it allowed me to tap into a much wider range of skills and master planning. When I was coming to end of my Master’s, I spotted my dream job, Creative Designer for Merlin Resort Theme Parks. I didn’t know if I had a chance, but I applied and then went through a long six months of interviews, presentations and tasks, before I eventually got offered the role very shortly after completing my MA. I’ve been here ever since, which is almost nine years now, working my way up to the role that I now do.
“Years ago, a colleague knew that I had this insane dream to design rollercoasters, and she gave me a little plaque that I still have today. It has a quote from Walt Disney which says, ‘All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them’, and that really stuck with me, so throughout my time at BCU, I just knew that I was going to do everything I could do to make my dreams a reality. By the time I saw my dream role pop up, I had the confidence and courage to apply, and it’s led me to where I am today.”
John was just 27 years old when he was given the opportunity to design a new rollercoaster for Thorpe Park. The Alumnus then spent over four years researching, designing, and working between engineers, fellow architects, builders, marketing teams and so much more before his ride, Hyperia, finally opened to the public in 2024.
He said: “Hyperia was my biggest ‘I’ve made it’ moment in my career so far. To have the opportunity to design a rollercoaster is actually incredibly rare, because they aren’t things that get built every single year. They are millions of pounds worth of investment, so the amount of people who get to do that in this world are few and far between, and the challenges that you have to overcome is insane, especially when it comes to planning restrictions.
“So, for me, Hyperia was a really big, momentous moment in my life. To say that I designed the UK’s tallest, fastest and most weightless rollercoaster is quite a claim to go against. Hyperia was what my whole career had been building up to.”
John’s career provides him with the incredible opportunities to not just travel the world, but to have a real variety in the projects that he’s a part of.
He said: “My job allows me to travel a lot. Merlin’s corporate base is in London, but as I’m still living in the Midlands, I work at Alton Towers a huge amount. But as we have theme parks around the world, I do a lot of travelling between them too.
“It's also a real variety of what we work on. It's not just roller coasters, there's flat rides, there's dark rides, there's hotels and water parks. A lot of what we do is theatre design more than anything; but rather than having the guests sit in the theatre, you'll put the theatre seats onto moving elements that take you into the actual set.
“In this role, it's also really important to be a good storyteller. A huge part of working in my industry is telling stories, creating other worlds and dimensions, and we even have to consider things like the space, the smells, the sounds, so becoming an excellent storyteller first and foremost is vital to my job.”
John’s love of all things theme parks doesn’t stop when he leaves the office. He gets his moments of inspiration when he’s travelling to resorts all around the world and meeting fellow enthusiasts.
He said: “Outside of work, I am very much a theme park enthusiast, and there is a big community of us across the world. Everyone has what we call a ‘cred count’, which is how many rollercoasters you’ve been on. I’ve got around 250 on my list, and that has been years of travelling all over to visit attractions. I do that because I enjoy rollercoasters, but I also like to see what others are doing in the industry and to keep up with what the new trends are.
“One of my favourite rollercoasters is Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Florida. It’s the first time I’d ever experienced a rollercoaster which created an ‘airtime’ sensation. Normally on a rollercoaster, you get pushed into your seat, but this one did the opposite, where you almost feel like you’re out of the train, like an astronaut floating through space.
“It was insane, so I wanted to bring that to the UK when I was designing Hyperia. That’s why Hyperia is now the most weightless rollercoaster in the UK, because that sensation is so euphoric and I wanted people here in the UK to have the opportunity to experience it too.
“My colleagues know that I’m incredibly interested in theme parks outside of my day job, which is part of the reason why I’m in the position that I’m in today, as I take a genuine interest in what’s out there, and I love working with manufacturers to push new ideas.”
John’s career so far has, like a rollercoaster, been a series of incredible highs and serious lows, but it’s his passion that keeps him going and looking forward to whatever comes next in his career.
He said: “My experience in my career so far has very much been like I’m on my very own rollercoaster! There has been the biggest highs and the biggest lows. But it’s been an incredible journey. I was thrown in at the deep end right from the start, and I feel like I’ve already had such a creative career, which is what I always wanted.
“I always try and get to the opening of the rides or experiences that I’ve worked on, just to see what people are saying and what they think. If it’s positive, then I can be proud. It’s always a lot of fun too to get involved with the media and PR aspects of the role, to promote my career and attractions. I’ve been on several TV shows, including Blue Peter, where I was given a Blue Peter badge, which was amazing!
“But like any job, there can be lows too. It can be incredibly stressful with insane deadlines. Some of the budgets can be tight, and managing expectations can be difficult too. But it’s my dream job. Growing up, I always dreamt of having this exact job.
“In the future, I want to continue working on projects where I get a huge amount of satisfaction. To be able to be creative, and to continue to be passionate about designing amazing guest experiences, is what I want to continue doing in the years to come.”
John often gets stopped at theme parks around the world by those keen to follow in his footsteps. But his biggest advice is to start working in the entertainment industry before anything else.
He said: “My advice to students and graduates who would like to follow in my footsteps is to firstly get yourself a little side job or work experience working within the entertainment industry.
“My first role at Merlin was whilst I was a student at the Sea Life Centre. Working there gave me a really good understanding of how attractions work and the operational side of things. So, in my job now, I design both for form and functional efficiency.”
John was awarded BCU’s Alumnus of the Year during July’s graduation ceremonies. But after the success of Hyperia, could this award compare?
He said: “I want to give my heartfelt thank you to the university and those who kindly nominated me for this amazing honour as Alumnus of the Year, recognising my professional journey within the industry of themed entertainment.
“Accepting the award has given me the opportunity to reflect on a journey that began with passion, curiosity, and a deep love for storytelling through immersive experiences, rides and attractions. To my friends and family, your unwavering support and encouragement have meant everything to me.
“Pursuing a career fuelled by creativity and passion hasn’t always been easy, but knowing your support was behind me every step of the way gave me the strength to keep going. Your belief in me has been my foundation, and I’m endlessly grateful.
“I also want to also take a moment to pay tribute to every colleague and team I’ve had the privilege to collaborate and learn from throughout my career. Together we have shared a vision to bring joy and create lasting memories to millions of people, by crafting world-class experiences around the globe. So, to all those brilliant, designers, engineers, artists, and dreamers, thank you.”