The new Oceania Mall in Moscow, Russia is now home to the tallest cylindrical aquarium in the world. Designed and built by International Concept Management (ICM), the 24-meter-tall, 10-meter-wide acrylic aquarium serves as the centerpiece of the new mall, immersing guests in an underwater environment.
The tank holds 900,000 liters of saltwater and was built using 56 pieces of acrylic. Once the individual pieces arrived on site, they were bonded together in specially built technical rooms. Once completed, the largest crane in Russia was needed to lift the massive bonded aquarium pieces into place in the mall. The process, from design to completion, took about 15 months to complete.
Visitors to the mall can enjoy the aquarium from afar, or they can take a hydraulic elevator, the largest in the world, up through the aquarium to get the best view of the 3,200 artificial corals and 50 different species of sharks, rays, and fish found in the tank. The elevator lets its passengers off at the top floor of the mall where they can exit via a walk-through tunnel.
ICM used a filtration system with a modular design so any component can be adjusted without altering the function of the others. The system is located beneath the aquarium and was designed to be hydraulically stable to maximize the integrity of the aquarium.
For more information on the Oceania Mall aquarium, click here.
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