March 15, 2018

AIA group to tour Tacoma aquarium

Rendering provided by EHDD [enlarge]

EHDD of San Francisco is the lead architect for the $52 million museum, which will open this summer.

The AIA Southwest Washington Chapter's annual dinner meeting March 20 will include a tour of Pacific Seas Aquarium in Tacoma, which is expected to open this summer.

EHDD of San Francisco is the lead architect, and BCRA is the local architect and civil engineer for replacing the North Pacific Aquarium, which opened in 1963 at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.

Turner Construction Co. is the general contractor and construction manager.

The new 35,000-square-foot aquarium is between Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater and Rocky Shores, a marine animal habitat. It will have three stories, but visitors will use a series of gradual ramps to reach exhibits on five levels.

The $52 million aquarium will house hundreds of species from the Pacific Ocean, offering the animals' optimum habitat and visitors up-close views. Improved graphics and interpretive materials are part of the project.

There will be a Tidal Surge pool, and visitors will see hammerhead sharks, schooling fish and giant spider crabs. Exhibits will include a jellyfish gallery and a coastal kelp forest.

The Tidal Touch Zone offers hands-on learning about marine animals, and the Baja Bay exhibit will house green sea turtles, spotted eagle rays and tropical fish. The Waves of Change gallery will focus on ways that visitors can help protect oceans.

The aquarium will also have retail space, labs and space for staff to care for animals and maintain systems.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is a division of Metro Parks Tacoma. The new aquarium is funded largely by a bond issue passed by Tacoma voters in 2014.

Others on the design team are OAC Services, owner's project manager; PAE Engineers, mechanical/electrical engineer; Lyons/Zaremba, exhibit design; LUMA, lighting design; TJP Engineers, life support systems; and Landau Associates, soils and geotechnical engineer.

Subcontractors are Valley Electric Co., Pease & Sons, McClean Iron Works, F.D. Thomas, Northshore Sheet Metal, Reynolds Polymer Technology, Herzog Industries, Sessler, Cost of Wisconsin, Creo Industrial Arts,

Boston Productions, Aquatic Exhibits International, Otis Elevator Co., Hermanson Co. and Pivetta Brothers Construction.

The AIASWW meeting starts with the aquarium tour at 4:45 p.m. The cost is $25 and covers the tour, beer and wine, and dinner. Tickets are at http://tiny.cc/4zrhry/.