Jul 13, 2010
Batumi Aquarium | Henning Larsen Architects
Image courtesy Henning Larsen Architects
Henning Larsen Architects wins Georgian Aquarium
Batumi Aquarium is inspired by the characteristic pebbles of the Batumi beach – the residue of dynamic seas continually shaping the shorefront throughout millennia. The building will be situated in the Georgian port of Batumi and will stand out as an iconic rock formation – visible from both land and sea.
Diagram courtesy Henning Larsen Architects
The formation constitutes four self-supporting exhibition areas where each of the four stones represents a unique marine biotype – the Aegean Sea & the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Black Sea & the Red Sea and finally the more interactive exhibition.
Diagram courtesy Henning Larsen Architects
The four dispersed aquarium exhibitions are connected by a central, multipurpose space including café, auditorium and retail functions with views of the black sea and Batumi beach as scenic backdrop. Visitors gather in the central space to convene, play, eat, shop and relax before continuing their adventures through the exhibitions.
Image courtesy Henning Larsen Architects
Batumi Aquarium will become a modern, cultural aquarium offering visitors an educational, entertaining and visually stimulating journey through the different seas. Unfolding around the aquarium, a landscape of different sea archipelagos provides attractive opportunities for innovative outdoor research and learning, public space and meeting places along the beach.
The building’s significant expression inspired by nature will not only make Batumi Aquarium a spectacular new landmark in Georgia but also a state-of-the-art contribution to exploring life underneath the sea surface.
All Images & Diagrams courtesy Henning Larsen Architects
Project Facts
Batumi Aquarium
Rustaveli Str., Batumi
The Republic of Georgia
Client: Association A.T.U.
Architect: Henning Larsen Architects
Gross floor area: 2,000 m2
Type of assignment: First prize in invited competition. Other participants
were the German architecture company Drei Architekten as well as the two American companies PJA Architects and Pryor & Morrow Architects.
The project team from Henning Larsen Architects includes Louis Becker (design director, partner) Anders Park (project manager), Viggo Haremst (design responsible), Michael Sørensen and Jaewoo Chun.
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