The Aquarium of the Pacific reached a key milestone in the construction of its new Pacific Visions wing last week, with the installation of the final glass panel on the building's exterior.
The two-story, 29,000-square-foot expansion, designed by EHDD, will contain facilities intended to integrate the arts and the sciences. Its offerings will include the 300-seat Honda Pacific Visions Theater, which will feature a 130-foot by 32-foot screen, curved in a 180-degree arc. The theater will be used for screenings, panel discussions, community meetings, and educational seminars.
Plans also call for an expanded exhibit gallery - doubling the size of the current space - which will be rotated periodically to reflect new scientific issues and discoveries.
The $53-million Pacific Visions wing is designed as a biomorphic structure with a facade that responds to changing light and weather conditions. The glass facade also works as a ventilated rain screen, and is composed of 800 panels with a total area of 18,000 square feet.
The Pacific Visions wing is scheduled to open in Spring 2019.
