The Batumi Aquarium in Georgia (the country, not the state) is getting a unique new look thanks to the winning design from Denmark-based Henning Larsen Architects in an invited competition to design the upcoming aquarium. Drawing inspiration from rounded pebbles from the Batumi shoreline sculpted over time from the rolling seas, the new aquarium will will be situated in the Georgian port of Batumi and will stand out as an iconic rock formation visible from both land and sea.
The design consists of four self-supporting exhibition areas and each of the four stones housing a unique biotype including the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, the Indian Ocean, the Black and Red Seas and finally an interactive exhibition for teaching and “edutainment.” The new aquarium will be over 2,000 square meters replacing the older, existing aquarium.
“It has been important for us to create a design that relates explicitly to local characteristics of Batumi while at the same time reaching out to the world,” says Anders Park, who is project manager for a number of Henning Larsen Architects’ projects in Georgia. “The aquarium interacts with its surroundings and becomes a manifestation of nature itself.”
Batumi, a very active tourist city and commercial port, is the capital of the southwestern province Adjara in Georgia. The city has around 120,000 residents and is situated by the Black Sea, approximately 20km from the border of Turkey.
Thanks for the tip Owen!
[via Arch Daily]
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