Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion, currently under construction, features several exhibits that examine the human connection with the Earth’s oceans. The 49,000 sf Ocean Pavilion has 19 living exhibits organized around The Reef, a new 362,000 gallon, two-story living habitat that is visible from five unique perspectives.
The Reef depicts a biodiverse Coral Triangle reef community, featuring an expansive, nearly 30-foot-wide domed view on the ground floor and additional viewing windows on an upper gallery. Cantilevered over the Pavilion’s entrance, it also features the “oculus”—a 16-foot wide portal that allows passersby to stand beneath and view the exhibit without paying admission.
The aquarium’s new pavilion is “the spectacular northern focal point of the reimagined Seattle waterfront,” according to Thinc, the firm that designed the exhibitions. LMN Architects is the design architect on the project, and is collaborating with Thinc on the exhibitions. “Thinc views every possible part of the Aquarium as useful context for building relationships with the public. Even the parts normally hidden from view consciously reveal the tank habitat vessels and back of house, all designed both for functionality and beauty.”
“To imagine an aquarium built around ethical human relationships with the ocean means throwing out the playbook on how you design aquariums,” said Tom Hennes, founder and principal of Thinc. “We can touch people deeply and enrich their relationship with the natural world, and we can also be a vital instrument of social change that catalyzes public engagement toward a thriving future.”
The Pavilion exhibition is organized into eight areas: 1) the entry/exit; 2) One Ocean Hall; 3) At Home in the Ocean; 4) The Archipelago (lower level view); 5) Window on The Reef (a dramatic, 30-foot wide domed window); 6) The Archipelago (upper level); 7) The Reef (upper level with three distinct views); and 8) Behind the Scenes (includes Jelly Nursery and Programming Area).
Dramatic living exhibits, engaging storytelling, and immersive multimedia installations will envelop visitors in the webs that connect ocean life to the complex arenas of human activity. The design was focused on realizing the Aquarium’s vision to make ocean conservation a global imperative, a community value, and a deeply personal priority for all. The Ocean Pavilion provides new opportunities for the Aquarium’s community to learn about the connections between Seattle’s local waters and the world’s oceans.
A collaboration with Coast Salish Tribal and Urban Native community members, as well as Indo-Pacific conservation partners, informed Thinc’s treatment of narratives and the design of the Ocean Pavilion. The design process included focused workshops and listening sessions with Coast Salish elders and tribal youth, and Urban Native community members, who contributed to the outcome.
The Ocean Pavilion is scheduled to open in 2024.
On the Building Team:
Owner and/or developer: Seattle Aquarium Society
Exhibition Designer: Thinc Design
Design architect & Architect of Record: LMN Architects
MEP engineer: PAE
General contractor/construction manager: Turner Construction Company
Horticulture Consultant: Zoo Horticulture Consulting and Design
Lighting Consultant: Palazzo Lighting
Technology Consultant: Teecom
Focus Tank LSS: Tenji
Development Manager: Shiels Obletz Johnsen (SOJ)
Related Stories
| Apr 24, 2014
Unbuilt and Famous: LEGO releases box set of Bjarke Ingels' LEGO museum
LEGO Architecture has created a box set that customers can use to build replicas of the LEGO Museum, which is not yet built in real life. The museum, designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group, will commemorate the history of LEGO.
| Apr 18, 2014
Multi-level design elevates Bulgarian Children's Museum [slideshow]
Embodying the theme “little mountains,” the 35,000-sf museum will be located in a former college laboratory building in the Studenski-grad university precinct.
| Apr 16, 2014
Upgrading windows: repair, refurbish, or retrofit [AIA course]
Building Teams must focus on a number of key decisions in order to arrive at the optimal solution: repair the windows in place, remove and refurbish them, or opt for full replacement.
| Apr 15, 2014
12 award-winning structural steel buildings
Zaha Hadid's Broad Art Museum and One World Trade Center are among the projects honored by the American Institute of Steel Construction for excellence in structural steel design.
| Apr 9, 2014
Colossal aquarium in China sets five Guinness World Records
With its seven salt and fresh water aquariums, totaling 12.87 million gallons, the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom theme park is considered the world’s largest aquarium.
| Apr 9, 2014
Steel decks: 11 tips for their proper use | BD+C
Building Teams have been using steel decks with proven success for 75 years. Building Design+Construction consulted with technical experts from the Steel Deck Institute and the deck manufacturing industry for their advice on how best to use steel decking.
| Apr 2, 2014
8 tips for avoiding thermal bridges in window applications
Aligning thermal breaks and applying air barriers are among the top design and installation tricks recommended by building enclosure experts.
| Mar 26, 2014
Callison launches sustainable design tool with 84 proven strategies
Hybrid ventilation, nighttime cooling, and fuel cell technology are among the dozens of sustainable design techniques profiled by Callison on its new website, Matrix.Callison.com.
Sponsored | | Mar 21, 2014
Kameleon Color paint creates color-changing, iridescent exterior for Exploration Tower at Port Canaveral
Linetec finishes Firestone’s UNA-CLAD panels, achieving a one-of-a-kind, dynamic appearance with the first use of Valspar’s new Kameleon Color
| Mar 20, 2014
Common EIFS failures, and how to prevent them
Poor workmanship, impact damage, building movement, and incompatible or unsound substrate are among the major culprits of EIFS problems.
