7/23/19 – Vertical aquarium could be an iconic addition to San Diego waterfront
Attractions Management
By Andy Knaggs
A 170,000sq ft (51,816sq m) vertical aquarium is one of the ideas being considered for a proposed 500ft-high (152m) observation tower at the centre of a development project on the California coast at San Diego.
Seaport San Diego, a US$2.4bn (€2.15bn, £1.93bn) scheme that encompasses 70 acres of land and water along Harbor Drive, is currently in the initial planning stages with developers 1HWY1 and architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).
The vertical aquarium, which would span the entire height of the tower, and would emulate the varying depths of the ocean, is just one of several ideas being floated for the tower. Others include a butterfly exhibit, a high level scrambling net, a wind garden, and an outdoor auditorium for basking in the clouds.
The lower levels of the tower would house hotels, retail and F&B.
Designed by BIG, the tower is intended to be an internationally iconic piece of architecture for San Diego – something many feel the city currently lacks. Its design is eye-catching: a cylindrical tower with an hourglass figure, centring around what appears to be a stack of spinning discs, evoking different images and impressions at varying elevations and vantage points.
Someone on the ground looking up might view the tower as a cascading hanging garden, while a viewer at the top could look out at the horizon and have a sensation of floating above the clouds...Read More>
