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
| Nov 11, 2011
By the Numbers
What do ‘46.9,’ ‘886.2,’ and ‘171,271’ mean to you? Check here for the answer.
| Nov 11, 2011
Streamline Design-build with BIM
How construction manager Barton Malow utilized BIM and design-build to deliver a quick turnaround for Georgia Tech’s new practice facility.
| Nov 11, 2011
AIA: Engineered Brick + Masonry for Commercial Buildings
Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and successfully completing the online exam.
| Nov 11, 2011
How Your Firm Can Win Federal + Military Projects
The civilian and military branches of the federal government are looking for innovative, smart-thinking AEC firms to design and construct their capital projects. Our sources give you the inside story.
| Nov 10, 2011
BD+C's 28th Annual Reconstruction Awards
A total of 13 projects recognized as part of BD+C's 28th Annual Reconstruction Awards.
| Nov 10, 2011
Grousbeck Center for Students & Technology opens doors
New Perkins School for the Blind Building is dedicated to innovation, interaction, and independence for students.
| Nov 10, 2011
Skanska Moss to expand and renovate Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
The multi-phase terminal improvement program consists of an overall expansion to the airport’s footprint and major renovations to the existing airport terminal.
| Nov 10, 2011
Suffolk Construction awarded MBTA transit facility and streetscape project
The 21,000-sf project will feature construction of a cable-stayed pedestrian bridge over Ocean Avenue, an elevated plaza deck above Wonderland MBTA Station, a central plaza, and an at-grade pedestrian crossing over Revere Beach Boulevard
| Nov 10, 2011
Thornton Tomasetti’s Joseph and Choi to co-chair the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s Outrigger Design Working Group
Design guide will describe in detail the application of outriggers within the lateral load resisting systems of tall buildings, effects on building behavior and recommendations for design.