designbuzz.com

OMA to seal Hamburg’s waterfront with aquarium and science center

oma to buy hamburgs waterfront
Hamburg’s new HafenCity district is looking at a prospect of having a vibrant new aquarium and science center that will elevate street life as well as address the rising sea levels. Spread over 383 acres, HafenCity is the brainchild of Rem Koolhaas the Dutch master of urban innovation and principal of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), and will be promoted as a cultural district with a concert hall designed by Herzog & de Meuron, a hotel and cruise ship terminal by Massimiliano Fuksas while the harbor-side landscaping will be handed over to Spanish designer Beth Gali.

Currently the plan aims at making the aquarium a highlight of HafenCity’s skyline with a 253,000-square-foot building which will contain 91,500 square feet of aquarium and laboratories. The underground area is to be used for water-themed exhibitions with glazed concrete walls used to catch reflections of sunlight off the water. A hole at the centre of the building will allow views of the sea water and easy access to it. The main plaza is to contain a café while the aquarium’s gift shop will be located in the basement. The aquarium will exhibit marine life from the nearby Elbe River and the Red Sea. The aquarium and science center will see construction beginning next summer and is expected to be completed by 2011.

Source: Arch Record

Today's Top Articles:

Scroll to Top