More than a million square feet of themed decorative hardscape, reinforced with UltraFiber 500® to reduce plastic shrinkage cracking without changing the finish guests see.
Epic Universe is Universal Orlando Resort's newest theme park, part of a larger 750-acre development. It opened in May 2025 with five themed worlds arranged around Celestial Park, the park's central hub.
Decorative concrete ties those worlds together. Plazas and walkways carry bands, circles, and fields of color across more than a million square feet of hardscape, reinforced with UltraFiber 500.
In a park built around immersive design, the ground guests walk on had to meet the same standard as the buildings around it. Universal Creative, the project's engineer and concrete consultant, needed a fiber that would control cracking without changing the finish.
The project earned 2nd place in the New Fiber Believer category at the Fiber Reinforced Concrete Association's 2026 Excellent Fiber Project of the Year Awards.
Universal Creative set three requirements for the hardscape fiber:
That last requirement narrowed the field. These plazas are design elements, with color and geometry cast in concrete.
Scale raised the stakes. The team placed 25,000 cubic yards over roughly 14 months, 8 inches thick. Every pour had to look consistent and hold up for years under crowds, service vehicles, and equipment.
After research and consultation, Universal Creative chose UltraFiber 500, a cellulose-based fiber. On a decorative job, that means:
Maschmeyer Concrete supplied the mix with UltraFiber 500 at 1 lb per cubic yard, and Brightview placed and finished it. Across the full project, that's about 25,000 lbs of fiber in the hardscape.
At that scale, material choices matter, especially for sustainability. Using UltraFiber 500 meant the fiber came from responsibly managed forests, not plastic.
More than 50 integral colors were used across Epic Universe, and about half were custom. Solomon Colors developed those custom colors from Pantone references and paint swatches, including PPG. Many of the mixes called for white cement to reach the target shades. The park's many blues relied on Solomon's Cobalt Blue 66 and 67 and 500 Chromium Oxide Green, sometimes blended.
The concrete was sealed with Brickform® Gem Cure & Seal 650 Matte. The low-sheen sealer enhances the colors without adding gloss. Applied to fresh concrete, it also slows moisture loss during curing, working alongside the fiber to limit early cracking.
Celestial Park is the hub of Epic Universe, inspired by the world's fairs of the 1880s to 1940s.
The hardscape is no exception. Charcoal bands orbit through fields of sky blue, gold, sand, and terracotta, with planets and sunbursts set into the concrete.
The fiber is there. You just can't see it. And you don't see cracks either. Those were the goals.
Tour Celestial Park with Adam Rivest of Universal Creative. Video courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort:
Epic Universe placed 2nd in the New Fiber Believer category at the FRCA's Excellent Fiber Project of the Year Awards, which honor projects that specify or use fiber reinforced concrete.
The FC&PA profiled Epic Universe as a featured Florida concrete project, including the use of UltraFiber 500 in its decorative hardscape.
Spec language and test data for UltraFiber 500 in decorative concrete.
Solomon Colors pigment and UltraFiber 500 before mixing. Once mixed, the fiber disappears into the colored concrete.
When the finish matters, your Solomon Colors account manager can help you spec UltraFiber 500 for the job.
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