Newport Aquarium
client: Newport Aquarium
markets : Arts/Entertainment
services : Construction, Operations

Sited atop the levee on the south bank of the Ohio River, the Newport Aquarium is the anchor attraction of Newport on the Levee, a 10-acre entertainment district. The design of the building references nautical imagery by its signature profile and soaring masts. Conceptually, the design of the exhibits was intended to entertain as well as educate. GBBN worked with the Newport Aquarium and Steiner + Associates to design space that did just that. The fifteen exhibit areas depict fresh and saltwater habitats using almost 200 feet of acrylic tunnels, including a 385,000-gallon shark tank and a coral reef.

Exhibit Addition
The need to continuously enhance exhibits to generate excitement and bring people back for more brought the Aquarium back to GBBN to create an expansion with spaces for events, flexible exhibits and a dedicated immersion habitat. Exploring the new exhibit, "Treasures of the Rainforest Islands" which features the Asian Small Clawed Otter, is like walking through an Indonesian habitat. Designers and artificial rockwork artists have transformed the building into a rainforest through the use of streams, pools, waterfalls, and rocky portals.