flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

EHDD’s Monterey Bay Aquarium wins AIA Twenty-five Year Award

Architects

EHDD’s Monterey Bay Aquarium wins AIA Twenty-five Year Award

The aquarium set new technical standards for the building type, which still influence today, such as the flow-through seawater-based heat pump system, naturalistic exhibitions, and corrosion protection.


By BD+C Editors | January 18, 2016
EHDD’s Monterey Bay Aquarium wins AIA Twenty-five Year Award

Photo: © Bruce Damonte

The Monterey Bay (Calif.) Aquarium has been selected to receive the 2016 AIA Twenty-five Year Award, an honor that recognizes an architectural design that has stood the test of time for at least a quarter-century.

The AIA Twenty-five Year Award is given to projects that demonstrate excellence in function, in the distinguished execution of its original program, and in the creative aspects of its statement by today’s standards, according to AIA.

Designed by San Francisco-based EHDD Architecture, the structure incorporates views of the Monterey Bay, an ecosystem that is celebrated by the aquarium and has become one of its most alluring elements. Unfiltered seawater flows directly from the bay into some of the aquarium’s exhibit tanks, literally bringing the natural ecosystem indoors.

 

Photo: Steve Proehl

 

Many of the aquarium’s original technical aspects still influence similar buildings today, such as the flow-through seawater-based heat pump system, corrosion protection, and the aforementioned naturalistic exhibitions.

But the most enduring architectural aspect of the aquarium is how seamlessly it is integrated into Monterey Bay itself. The structure, and all of the two million visitors that pass through on an annual basis, become a part of the bay, witnessing creatures in habitats strikingly similar to the offshore habitats they would exist in otherwise.

Throughout the years, the flexible design of the Monterey Bay Aquarium has accommodated multiple changes that have built upon the original concept. Now, 32 years after its initial completion, the structure remains an impressive architectural feat and a popular destination for both tourists and locals.

The award will be presented to EHDD in May at the AIA National Convention in Philadelphia.

You can read more about the 2016 recipient of the AIA Twenty-five Year Award and view more pictures here.

The jury for the 2016 25 Year Award includes: Josiah Stevenson, FAIA (Chair), Leers Weinzapfel Associates Architects; José Alvarez, AIA, Eskew+Dumez+Ripple; Brad Cloepfil, AIA, Allied Works Architecture, Inc.; Roberto de Leon, AIA, De Leon & Primer Architecture Workshop; Julie Eizenberg, FAIA, Koning Eizenberg Architecture, Inc.; Julie Engh, Assoc. AIA, Highland Associates; Elizabeth Hallas, AIA, Anderson Hallas Architects, P.C.; Danielle Jones, AIAS Representative; Christian Zimmerman, Prospect Park Alliance.

 

Photos: Bruce Damonte

Related Stories

Building Team | Mar 6, 2017

AEC firms: Your website is one of the most important things you'll build

Don’t believe it? You’d better take a look at the research.

Architects | Mar 3, 2017

Hoffmann Architects’ Leadership Elected President of Three Industry Organizations

Maureen Dobbins, Lawrence Keenan, and Arthur Sanders to lead chapters of BOMA, AIA, and ICRI.

Office Buildings | Mar 2, 2017

White paper from Perkins Eastman and Three H examines how design can inform employee productivity and wellbeing

This paper is the first in a planned three-part series of studies on the evolution of diverse office environments and how the contemporary activity-based workplace (ABW) can be uniquely tailored to support a range of employee personalities, tasks and work modes.

Building Team | Mar 1, 2017

Intuitive wayfinding: An alternate approach to signage

Intuitive wayfinding is much like navigating via waypoints—moving from point to point to point.

Architects | Mar 1, 2017

Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta receive the 2017 Pritzker Architecture Prize

2017 marks the first time that three architects together are honored with the prize.

Architects | Feb 27, 2017

AIA selects four individuals to receive the 2017 Associates Award

The AIA Associates Award is given to individual Associate AIA members to recognize outstanding leaders and creative thinkers for significant contributions to their communities and the architecture profession.

Architects | Feb 24, 2017

14 architects selected to receive the 2017 Young Architects Award

Young Architects are defined as professionals who have been licensed 10 years or fewer regardless of their age.

Architects | Feb 20, 2017

Take an architecture class taught by Frank Gehry

The starchitect will be teaching a course for MasterClass, an online education platform.

Architects | Feb 16, 2017

16 design trends from Gensler’s 2017 Design Forecast

Gensler examines how design will shape the human experience in the next year and beyond.

Architects | Feb 14, 2017

NCARB streamlines path to certification for architects

Architects without a degree from an accredited program can pursue NCARB certification through a new path.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021