|
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Your email :
Air Valve
Ball Valve
Butterfly Valve
Control Valve
Cylinder Repair
Float Valve
Flow Control Valve
Gas Cylinder
Gate Valve
Glass Cylinder
Graduated Cylinder
Hydraulic Control Valve
Hydraulic Cylinder
Hydraulic Valve
Indy Cylinder Head
Master Cylinder
Oxygen Cylinder
Pneumatic Cylinder
Pneumatic Valve
Pressure Relief Valve
Propane Cylinder
Rebuilt Cylinder Head
Rrelief Valve
Solenoid Valve
Volume Of A Cylinder
ADD CATEGORY
|
World’s Largest Cylinder Aquarium Opens in Berlin, Germany
by
Anonymous
Grand Junction, CO December 8 2003-–Today, International Concept Management, Inc. (ICM) announced that the AquaDom, the world’s largest cylinder aquarium, has been completed. The public can now look up at the 81 foot tall aquarium to marvel at over 2,500 fish that make the AquaDom their new home. The AquaDom holds 264,000 gallons of salt water and more than 100 different species of fish.
Nestled in the heart of Berlin, adjacent to the historic Berliner Dom, the AquaDom is a multi-use development, including a world-renowned four-star hotel, retail, recreation, living and office space. Water is the architectural theme of the complex and the impressive AquaDom aquarium is the highlight of this experience. Positioned in the center of the hotel complex, the base of the AquaDom aquarium rises 29 feet above the ground floor. Visitors have the unique experience of ascending through a column of water as they ride a split-level glass lift up seven floors, through the center of the aquarium. On the way up, they are treated to an array of colorful corals, basalt rock formations and a myriad of fish.
The AquaDom aquarium reaches an unprecedented height of over 52 feet above a 29 foot tall concrete base and is 36 feet in diameter. ICM partnered with Reynolds Polymer Technology, Inc. (RPT) to engineer, manufacture and install the acrylic. This engineering marvel required over 150 tons of acrylic to construct, including 26 acrylic panels for the outer cylinder and 15 acrylic panels for the inner cylinder. The panels were shipped from the RPT production facility in Grand Junction, Colorado to Berlin and then bonded together on-site. Reynolds Polymer Technology’s unique bonding process enables the building of aquariums of incredible sizes and shapes, while maintaining a seamless appearance. Construction of the AquaDom at the project site, employed a complex process of bonding the acrylic panels in an upright position within specially constructed environmentally controlled rooms.
The eleven months of construction meant the aquarium was being built through the different seasons. Even under these difficult working conditions and with up to 15 people at any one time working on the aquarium, there were no injuries reported throughout the construction period.
An aquarium of this unprecedented size presented many unique challenges in the selection of fish species. The fish were carefully chosen to include species that inhabit all levels of the aquarium. The basalt rock formations were designed to provide spaces for the smaller fish to hide from the larger predatorial species.
ICM began construction in May 2002. As the aquarium contractor in this multi-use development by Deutsche Immobilien Fonds AG (DIFA), ICM was responsible for technical development and final design for engineering and project management and construction of the acrylic cylinder, the aquatic filtration system, and exhibitry. The original concept design was provided by nps tchoban voss architects in Berlin.
ICM has also been contracted by DIFA to provide day-to-day operation of the AquaDom, including the maintenance, servicing and curatorial services. This includes monitoring and maintenance of the Aquatic Life Support systems, food preparation and feeding the fish, ensuring proper fish health and populations and routine cleaning of the enormous interior and exterior surfaces of the aquarium. Due to the AquaDom’s size, ICM must use commercially certified divers to clean and maintain the inside of the aquarium. As they ascend from the bottom of the aquarium, divers must decompress at “safety stop intervals” because of the depth of water.
Headquartered in Grand Junction, Colorado, International Concept Management, Inc. brings innovative and creative design/build solutions to a global marketplace. ICM has extensive project management experience and has completed hundreds of projects in over 20 countries catering to a wide range of customers, including public aquariums, museums, retail, hotel and themed exhibits. ICM offers a wide range of services, including: concept and detailed technical design, aquatic filtration design, habitat design, installation, construction management, comprehensive curatorial services and operational training. For more information visit their website at www.icm-corp.com.
Reynolds Polymer Technology (RPT) is a global supplier of cast acrylic shapes and a leading provider of highly engineered thermoplastics located in Grand Junction, Colorado. For over twenty years, RPT has been the dominant global manufacturer, fabricator and installer of thermoplastics and high performance cast acrylic using R-CastTM technology for many uses including aquariums, zoos and architectural applications. Reynolds has supplied well over 50% of the world’s major aquarium windows. For more information visit their website at www.reynoldspolymer.com.
Established in 1965, Deutsche Immobilien Fonds AG (DIFA) is a leading capital investment firm based in Hamburg, Germany. DIFA is the second largest capital investment company for open-ended real estate funds in Germany with total assets exceeding EUR 15.0 billion and a portfolio that comprises 180 properties. DIFA’s web site is www.difa.de and the email contact is susanne.kaschub@difa.de. Visit the AquaDom website at www.domaquaree.de.
This article courtesy of http://www.cylinder-hydraulic.com.
You may freely reprint this article on your website provided this assist notice and the author name
and URL remain intact.
Submit Your Article
|
