Shedd Aquarium
Role: Project Manager
The Shedd Aquarium Projects was an addition and renovation project which covered all parts of the building except for the main historic building. Sustainability was a big driver for the design of the project as conservation is one of the most important missions of the Shedd Aquarium.
Part of the program was to add more office space to the building and since there is not a lot of space on the property we went on top of the Oceanarium for the addition. This allowed for no site impact. One of the goals for the Shedd was to reduce their use of city water. We helped this by designing a system that harvested rain water off the addition roof and placing it in their exiting water basins. They use this water for their cooling towers. We achieved LEED Silver certification for the addition.
Working in an environment inhabited by animals we need to be very carful about what materials were introduced to their environment. Working with the Shedd staff we built the material palette. Durability was also key in material selection due to the high visitor traffic and the corrosive salt water environment.