The highly-anticipated St. Louis Aquarium, designed by PGAV Destinations, has opened its doors at the city's Union Station, a former train station and National Historic Landmark that has been converted to become a mixed-use entertainment destination. Among Union Station's features are its Grand Hall, which features original terrazzo flooring, green-glazed terracotta bricks and stained glass windows, and the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, which still offers some of the station's

Construction of a new pavilion at the Seattle Aquarium, designed by LMN Architects, looks set to go ahead after the city council approved a US$34m (€30.7m, £25.8m) contribution towards funding. Designs for the US$113m (€102m, £85.8m) 50,000sq ft (15,240sq m) Ocean Pavilion project were unveiled in 2017. It will see a 325,000-gallon (1.5-million-litre) martini glass-shaped tank built to house sharks, stingrays, and schooling and reef fish from the South Pacific's

Legacy Entertainment has designed a 27,500sq m (296,000sq ft) aquarium called The Sea Shell for Phu Quoc island, Vietnam. The building will open early in 2020. Habitats will provide animals with ample space to ensure their wellbeing, while the life support systems will be provided by Advanced Aquarium Technologies. The interior experience, created by designer James Hampton, will take guests on a journey through five galleries, each relating to different

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is raising a targeted $18.2m (€16.5m, £14.4m) to remodel its facilities, improve its learning experience and build a marine rehabilitation centre, with design work by Dangermond Keane Architecture and Walker Macy. Although the facility is only one of three in the Pacific Northwest that is authorised to provide critical care to endangered marine wildlife, it is was not purpose-built. Instead, it's current rehab centre is housed

The Mississippi Aquarium has announced an opening date of 30 April 2020. Designed by Eley Guild Hardy, it will be one of the largest aquariums in the US. Currently under construction in Gulfport, Mississippi, the US$93m (€85m, £75.7m) project will sit on a 5.8-acre (23,500sq m, 253,000sq ft) beachfront site. There will be 80,000sq ft (24,380sq m) of exhibits in total, connected by landscaped walkways with plantings representing all seven

Proposals for a new £10m (US$12.48m, €11.21m) ReefLIVE aquarium in Belfast's Titanic Quarter are to be put forward for approval, with hopes that the attraction will draw more than 300,000 visitors per year. Designed by Ethos Design and Architecture, and with planning by consultants Turley, the aquarium would be situated opposite the Titanic Hotel on Queen's Road, which is a short distance from the Titanic Belfast museum. ReefLIVE, a UK

One of the Middle East's biggest aquariums, the National Aquarium in Abu Dhabi, is on track to open in 2020 as a cornerstone of upcoming mixed-use destination, Al Qana. The development, by Al Barakah International Investment (BII) and Abu Dhabi Municipality, will welcome a million visitors a year when complete. The 7,000sq m (22,965sq ft), aquarium will be home to 33,000 responsibly- and ethically-sourced marine creatures to highlight the importance

Austrian practice Pumar Architekten have won an international competition to create a new aquarium at Vienna’s Tiergarten Schönbrunn – the world’s oldest zoo. According to the architects, the new facility will feature a below-ground visitor’s centre with a path leading through a mangrove garden to a large shark tank. The aquarium’s exterior facilities – set to be created by local studio dieLandschaftsplaner – will be shaped to simulate Alpine scenery,

The long-anticipated Pacific Visions wing at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, is set to open to the public on 24 May. Devised by Esherick Homsey Dodge and Davis (EHDD), the two-floor annex boasts a unique design that takes cues from the motion and biodiversity of the Pacific Ocean. "In designing this new wing," the architects explained, "we embraced the concept of fluidity – both in the

International design practice Ennead Architects have won a competition to build a futuristic laboratory and nature reserve on the Yangtze River near Shanghai, China. The new 427,000 sq ft (39,669 sq m) facility, which will resemble rippling waves and feature indoor and outdoor habitats, will primarily function as a breeding and research centre, housing endangered populations of finless porpoises – the Yangtze's only extant aquatic mammal – and sturgeon, one

The New York Aquarium is celebrating the launch of its US$158m (€135.6m, £120.2m) shark-themed expansion, with the new addition opening on Coney Island's iconic boardwalk tomorrow (30 June). Covering 57,500sq ft (5,300sq m) and set over three floors, Ocean Wonders: Sharks! features nine galleries, which aim to drive awareness of the importance of sharks to the health of the world’s oceans; educate visitors about the severe threats sharks face; and

A US$125m (€107m, £93.3m) proposals to create a leisure development – featuring a world class aquarium and cultural centre in Memphis – have moved a step closer, after the Tennessee city won state approval to expand its downtown tourism zone. In October last year, Jim Strickland, mayor of Memphis, revealed plans for the Mud Island area, focused around the aquarium on Mud Island itself and the cultural centre across the

A unique construction created for U2’s most recent world tour has been purchased by Salt Lake City's Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, where it will now become a permanent fixture at the Utah attraction. From the mind of the late Mark Fisher of London-based architects Stufish, the 250-ton, 165ft-tall (50m) ‘Claw’ was designed by the firm and created by construction company Stageco, with three different versions built for the three-year tour.

The US’s largest aquarium has revealed details about its major expansion plan, with a new saltwater gallery home to a variety of different sharks at its heart. The Georgia Aquarium first announced the plans in February, naming PGAV Destinations as lead architect on the project, which will cover 41,000sq ft (3,809sq m) and is slated to open in 2020. In a new release, aquarium president and CEO, Joesph Handy, said

Georgia Aquarium – once the largest aquarium in the world – has revealed it’s planning a major extension project, including exhibit space and a new visitor entrance. The aquarium, which is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and is home to over 100,000 animals, including whale sharks, beluga whales, sea lions and manta rays, has hired PGAV Destinations as lead architect on the project. The new entrance is proposed for the Baker Street

A fundraising campaign has been launched following the announcement of plans to build a US$130m (€106m, £93.2m aquarium development in Sarasota, Florida. Called the Mote Science Education Aquarium, Massachusetts-based architecture firm CambridgeSeven are behind the plans, which will cover 110,000sq ft (10,000sq m) – more than doubling the size of the existing Mote Aquarium. In addition to aquatic displays across 3.8 million litres of water, the aquarium will offer interactive

A historic pier and aquarium on Manhattan Beach, California, is undergoing a major renovation after reaching its fundraising target. The Roundhouse Aquarium, which was built on the end of the 100-year-old iron pier, will benefit from a complete refurbishment, with the US$4m (£3m, €3.4m) project being led by Cambridge Seven Associates. Michael Greenberg, CEO of the global shoe company Skechers, led the appeal for funds, raising over US$1.5m (£1.12m, €950,000)

Snøhetta have revealed designs for the international architects' latest leisure project – the first underwater restaurant to open in Europe. Located at the southernmost point of the Norwegian coastline, the restaurant, called Under, will double as an aquarium and marine research centre. Snøhetta's design is inspired by the country's rocky coast, with a monolithic structure breaking from the surface of the sea to rest on the craggy shoreline. The bottom

Aquatis, a groundbreaking new aquarium and vivarium that’s home to some 100 reptile and 10,000 fish species, is set to open its doors this weekend. The largest facility of its kind in Europe, Aquatis is located near Lake Geneva in Lausanne, Switzerland, and promises to take visitors on a journey through 20 different freshwater habitats from around the globe. Designed by architectural studio Richter Dahl Rocha, the circular building is

Plans for a brand new waterside aquarium near the Norwegian capital have been unveiled, showing a pair of smooth, undulating domes jutting out into the fjord. Designed by London and Oslo-based practice Haptic Architects, the 10,000sq m (108,000sq ft) aquarium is encircled by walkways, providing a glimpse through the windows to the attraction’s interior. The building features a curved roof that will double as accessible public space. The aquarium will

Plans to develop a second zoo in Sydney, Australia, have been given the go-ahead after local government officials granted planning permission to the AU$36m (US$28.8m, €24m, £21.3m) “cage free” project in Bungarribee. First touted in September 2015, the proposal for the Western Sydney Parklands – masterplanned by Australian design firm Misho + Associates (M+A) in conjunction with landscape architecture from Aspect Studios – will create natural-looking spaces developed to showcase

Weta Workshop – the special effects and prop company behind such epics as The Lord of the Rings and Avatar – have thrown their weight behind a NZ$45m (US$32.5m, €27.5m, £25.3m) redevelopment of the Napier National Aquarium in New Zealand. Napier City Council (NCC) has announced the plans, which will see the aquarium on Marine Parade expanded from 3,400sq m (36,600sq ft) by almost three times to 11,100sq m (120,000sq

After suffering a number of delays, work on the AU$50m (US$39.6m, €33.7m, £30.7m) Cairns Aquarium is in the final stages, with 12 September being touted as the visitor attraction's official opening date. The three-storey, 10,000sq m (107,600sq ft) development will be home to more than 5,000 animals endemic to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and Queensland's far north. This will be Australia's first new public aquarium to be built in 17

Seattle Aquarium has unveiled plans to expand its premises, with a new US$100 million (€858m, £770m) Ocean Pavilion coming to the US aquarium in 2023. Situated next to the existing aquarium building on Piers 59 and 60, preliminary designs by Seattle-based architecture firm LMN include a 350,000-gallon (1.6m litre) warm-water tank as the central focus of a 50,000 sq ft (4,645sq m) pavilion building. This tank, three times larger than

Toronto Zoo is about to open its CA$18m (US$13.6m, €12.1m, £10.7m) Wildlife Health Centre – a brand new high-tech zoo hospital and laboratory with visitor facilities for the public. The zoo held an official opening ceremony for the 50,000sq ft (4,645sq m) centre on 26 June, with the facility opening to the public on Saturday (1 July). Once open, visitors will be able to access a public viewing area, which

The US$305m (€278.2m, £235.1m) Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science is celebrating its grand opening today following a major expansion and redevelopment. The hotly-anticipated museum – which sits in a prominent location on Miami’s waterfront in the city's Museum Park – has navigated through difficult circumstances to reach this stage. Pharmaceutical entrepreneurs Patricia and Phillip Frost had to step in last year to fill a US$45m (€41m, £34.7m) funding

The Nanaimo Deep Discovery Association (NDDA) has showcased plans for a new CA$40m (US$30.6m, €28.5m, £24.5m) attraction in British Columbia, Canada, designed to connect people with the ocean environment and deep-sea technology. The facility, according to the NDDA, would be a unique, educational, ocean experience attracting visitors with a range of displays and activities, some static, some “virtual”, some “interactive”, and some “living”. NDDA president Lorne Hildebrand is behind the