Aquarium of the Pacific – Pacific Visions Expansion
Award
Description
The Aquarium of the Pacific - Pacific Visions is a 29,000-square-foot, two-story sustainable addition designed by San Francisco-based architecture and design firm EHDD. The two-story, 300-seat Pacific Visions Theater will include a 32-foot-tall, 130-foot long, 180-degree arc digital projection wall and a 30-foot-diameter floor projection disc to immerse visitors in a virtual ocean environment. The proposed expansion will double the existing changing exhibit space, adding a total of 6,000 square feet. The proposed Aquarium expansion project is projected to cost $53 million and is the final phase of the Aquarium of the Pacific Master Plan adopted by the Board of Directors in 2005. When completed, Pacific Visions will increase the institution’s audience capacity to 2 million visitors a year. The expansion project is slated to open in late 2018 with the main Aquarium building will remain operational throughout the construction phase.
KPFF provided Civil Engineering services for the new extension of the Aquarium of the Pacific. The project included grading, drainage, and sustainable design (SUSMP/LID) design. The front lawn area, which serves as recreational space for families and visiting students, was designed as a multipurpose space to serve as a recreation space as well as a storm water quality BMP. In addition to grading and drainage, KPFF provided utility design and permit coordination with the City of Long Beach, the Long Beach Water Department, and the City of Long Beach Fire Department.
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