OZEANIUM AQUARIUM BY BOLTSHAUSER ARCHITEKTEN

In the international architectural competition for the new 'Ozeanium' Aquarium in Basel, Switzerland, the proposal 'Seacliff' by Boltshauser Architekten has been selected as the winning entry.

The Zurich-based firm beat out tough competition from big architectural names, like Zaha Hadid Architects, who came in third, or David Chipperfield Architects, MVRDV, and Behnisch Architekten who only made the shortlist.

“All in all, the entries submitted were at an extremely high level and represented a wide range of interesting proposed solutions for the task and location at hand,” said jury member and Basel canton master builder Fritz Schumacher.

Their concept, titled ‘Seacliff’, was noted by jury members as being the best match for the public image cultivated by the Basel Zoo. The above-ground building space proposed by Boltshauser was smaller than any of the other competition entries, offering the best solution from an urban development perspective.

Construction costs for the project are expected to reach £54 million, with the scheme due for completion in 2019. When it opens visitors will be able to see coral reefs, sharks, giant octopuses and luminous maringe organisms in the city centre.

 

Location: Basel, Switzerland 
Architect: Boltshauser Architekten 
Year: 2012 
Award: 1 Prize Competition for the new 'Ozeanium' Aquarium

AQUALUX THERME FOHNSDORF BY ARCHITEKTEN TITUS WALTER PERNTHALER ZT GMBH

The history of Fohnsdorf as a coal mining town serves as the inspirational starting point for the design of the thermal bath. The building is situated as a monolithic block seemingly growing out of the existing topography by analogy with the characteristical form of a coal seam.

Several axes open up the block to the surrounding landmarks like “Schloss Gabelhofen” and the alpine scenery. These “fissures” serve as natural lighting during the day and as illumination during the night. The reduced but deliberate use of openings and vistas intensify the tension and communication between interior and exterior space.

The glazed axes also stage the circulation of the building and divide the block into six distinct areas of activity: athletic pool; children’s area; adventure pool; wellness area and sauna, restaurant, health center 

The areas of activity are organized according to their different noise levels from high activity zones to relaxing areas along the main horizontal circulation axis that forms an interior courtyard in the center of the building.

This central atrium introduces natural lighting and green space into the center of the building making the course of the sun and the sequence of seasons tangible in the interior of the thermal bath.

Along the glazed axes the dark cladding of the exterior walls continues into the internal space and reinforces the interconnection between interior and exterior space. In contrast to the dark ceramic tiling of the interior floors the water pools are tiled with light stones that reflect the light and allow a better illumination of the water with luminaries installed inside the pools and on the ceilings.

The third predominant interior material – the timber form work – creates another reference to the mining tradition and allows a seamless transition between walls and ceilings.

The joints of the timber form work improve the acoustics and serve as ventilation slots. The insertions of galleries enhance the differentiated spatial effects and create a multitude of visual relationships between the different levels of the thermal bath.

 

Location: Fohnsdorf, Austria 
Architects: Architekten Titus Walter Pernthaler ZT GmbH 
Lighting Design: Vedder Lichtmanagement 
Structural engineering: Spirk & Partner ZT GmbH 
HVAC engineering | water engineering: Die Haustechniker TB GmbH 
Building physics | acoustics: Dr. Pfeiler GmbH 
Landscape design: Monsberger Gartenarchitektur 
Area: 36.478 m2 
Construction area: 4.020 m2 
Gross floor area: 9.060 m2 
Net area: 7.710 m2 
Water areas: 885 m2 
Construction costs: 21,5 Million € 
Year: 2007 
Photography: Paul Ott

BATUMI AQUARIUM BY HENNING LARSEN

Batumi Aquarium, located in Batumi, Georgia, Designed by Henning Larsen Architects is inspired by the characteristic pebbles of the Batumi beach, continually shaped by the wash of the waves throughout millennia. The building will be situated in the Georgian seaport of Batumi and will stand out as an iconic rock formation – visible from both land and sea.

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 space for teaching and education.

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.

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.

 

 

video: A As Architecture production
info:    www.henninglarsen.com