PROJECTS

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey, California

The Outer Bay exhibit displays ocean fish in a one-million-gallon seawater tank featuring a three-story, 54-foot long viewing window, the largest aquarium window in the world. The exhibit is home to the nation’s largest aquarium community of open-ocean animals, including giant bluefin tuna, hammerhead sharks, and sea turtles, as well as the largest permanent collection of jellyfish species. It also includes a special 150,000-gallon anchovy tank -- a piece of Cannery Row’s canning history. Our work included expansion and upgrade of the central heat pump system, including the addition of a natural gas engine-driven chiller with heat recovery, providing for energy efficiency in both cooling and heating requirements. For example, seawater discharged after use in the exhibits is used both for rejection of heat in the cooling mode and as a source of energy in the heating mode. The multiphase project included the addition of a classroom building, connection of restrooms to a new nonpotable water system, and renovation of the bookstore and display areas. Subsequent work has included modifications to create a new Changing Light-and-Dark exhibits area, modifications to the auditorium for a Deep Sea Link exhibit, the gift shop and to Portola Café, which serves 2,000 visitors per day. Current work includes an energy infrastructure retrofit based on our study completed in 2005. Our work for the two-phase project includes new HVAC chllers and replacement of heat exchangers.

 

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