Italian architects win New York aquarium design competition with retractable roof proposal
by Kim Megson | 26 Apr 2016
Italian architecture studio Lissoni Associati have won a design ideas contest for a new aquarium and public waterfront park in New York.
The competition was launched by organisers Arch Out Loud in January 2016 in a bid to receive proposals for an "iconic new destination" to revitalise the borough of Queens.
The winning design, called Aquatrium, creates an environment whereby visitors feel that they are entering the water to discover the beauty of the marine life on display.
In the concept, the site, located on the East River, is excavated to become a large water basin, with the aquarium and a marine centre located on a submerged two-level island. A boardwalk surrounds the basin as a floating ring, creating a pathway linking the city and a new beach-themed public park to the aquarium.
The aquarium itself, which features a retractable roof, would be formed of eight triple-height transparent biodomes representing the four oceans and four seas. The North and South Poles are expressed by a readily-visible iceberg in the centre of the atrium.
“With the retractable roof, the aquarium can be a living shell that opens to the sky during the day to reveal the sea worlds and which closes as darkness falls to take on a ‘second life’ as a planetarium,” said studio founder Piero Lissoni. “This protects the arena and the biome domes within, like a shell protects the pearl.”
All submissions had to feature a main lobby, at least four exhibit areas, service spaces and marine research facilities to address sustainability issues.
The winning design will be used by Arch Out Loud to promote the benefits an aquarium would bring to Queens as “a new platform for cultural architecture and experimentation.”
Talking about the East River as a location for an aquarium, Lissoni said: “No better position could be chosen to represent the most important NYC aquarium. Our project creates a dynamic system that interacts with its surroundings, offering multiple ways to experience the water world.”
Arch Out Loud aquarium design architecture Lissoni Associati Queens New York
The top of the biodomes would pop out of the island's floor, creating a new water-filled public realm Credit: Arch Out Loud/Lissoni Associati
A retractable roof could cover the site, creating a planetarium Credit: Arch Out Loud/Lissoni Associati
Competition organisers Arch Out Loud believe an aquarium could revitalise the New York borough of Queens Credit: Arch Out Loud/Lissoni Associati
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Italian architecture studio Lissoni Associati have won a design ideas contest for a new aquarium and public waterfront park in New York. The competition was launched by organisers Arch Out Loud in January 2016 in a bid to receive proposals for an "iconic new destination" to revitalise the borough of Queens. The winning design, called Aquatrium, creates an environment whereby visitors feel that they are entering the water to discover
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