Shark Week 2014 has come and gone and we’re already suffering withdrawal. Fortunately, it won’t be long until we can get our shark fix year-round, once the new Living Core aquarium opens at the new Patricia and Philip Frost Museum of Science.
With three levels for exploration and rumors that you might be able to zip line over the shark tank, this isn’t your childhood aquarium.
The aquarium will encourage visitors to get to know the local environment, with an emphasis on experiencing the Everglades, Florida’s Reefs and the Gulfstream.
First up, The Vista will feature marine life at the surface level, offering top-down views of sharks, predatory fish, and sea turtles — all against the backdrop of Biscayne Bay. Here is where the more adventurous will find the rumored zip line attraction (fingers crossed!).
The Dive will let visitors get up-close and personal with underwater sea life and diving birds on three levels of exhibits, and The Deep will immerse museum goers in a Gulfstream habitat created by an 80-foot digital wall.
An enormous oculus window into the tank will offer a peek into the world of sharks, tuna, turtles and schools of smaller fish.
That’s not all. The tank will be home to bait fish, giving visitors a chance to watch sharks hunt for their food first-hand.
We’re only a couple years away from the Museum’s grand opening. In the meantime, here are details about the Gulfstream Tank to tide us over:
– 5 million pounds of concrete will be poured over 12 hours to form the Living Core building, brought in 130 trucks, which totals to 250 cubic yards of concrete.
– 9.5 miles of tension cables will be buried within the tank’s concrete walls, preventing it from cracking
– The walls of the tank will be 28-56 inches thick, and span 9,500 square feet
– 400 custom framework panels will need to be assembled for the structure of the tank, over the course of 5 to 6 weeks
– 500,000 – the number of gallons of water needed to fill the tank
Want to support the Patricia and Philips Frost Museum of Science? Vote for them to win a $50,000 grant to fund science, technology, engineering, and math education for Miami students from Lincoln Financial Group. Click here to learn more.
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