(continued)

Thirty years later, the New England Aquarium finds itself again poised to make big waves in the nexus of the worlds of education, architecture, and urban design. The institution is beginning a massive new facility building program that will present a new prototype in the public presentation and education of the aquatic world.

It is also poised to take advantage of a major change in urban landscape as Boston's "Big Dig" is in the process of relocating underground the elevated freeway that currently cuts a swath between downtown Boston and its waterfront.

The Networked Aquarium

Dr. Jerry R. Schubel, the president of the New England Aquarium, cites a Native American proverb that says, "Tell me, and I'll listen. Show me, and I'll watch. Get me involved, and I'll learn." This proverb typifies the model that the aquarium is now using to kick-start its plans for further expansion.

As Schubel writes in the guidebook, World of Water, "It is no longer enough to dazzle and delight. We must transform our species' natural curiosity about the world of water into a deeper appreciation for the interdependency of human and aquatic life. We all must be involved in our planet's care-taking."

This latest shift in thinking is typified by the following comparisons:

The "Old" Aquarium Model	The New "Networked" Aquarium
Humans are observers of nature	Humans are part of nature
Passive visitors	Active explorers
Didactic approach	Discovery learning
Habitats	Ecosystems
Discrete exhibits	Connected exhibits
Fixed environments	Flexible environments
Noisy	Range of noisy to quiet
Emphasis on biodiversity	Emphasis on biodiversity & conversation
Casual conversation	Call to action
Contained experience	Continuing exchange
Isolated exhibits	Wired institution
Media/interactives are add-ons	Media/interactives are integrated

Understandably, the new paradigm of the networked aquarium has vast implications on both the design of the proposal to revamp this facility and its satellite support environments, as well as on the experience of visitors and on the maintenance of this new campus by its staff. It is a fascinating next fork in the road that began over 30 years ago.

Site of Many Stories

Embedded in this institution's past, present, and future, are a variety of stories that ArchitectureWeek will explore from time to time:

The latest transition phase ranges from the West Wing expansion in 1998 to the addition currently under construction, the Simons IMAX theater. The West Wing was designed by Schwartz/Silver Architects and provided New England Aquarium with a dramatic new architectural landscape and dynamic entry sequence with its exterior ticketing building, two-level exhibit gallery, visitor book/gift shop, and 200-seat cafe.

Now comes to this angular, alpine architectural landscape, a state-of-the-art 400-seat capacity large-format IMAX Theater designed by E. Verner Johnson & Associates. The new theater employing the latest in IMAX 3D viewing capabilities is on schedule to open in the fall of 2001. It demonstrates how the whole nature of 3D movie making has evolved from the early cardboard glasses to the various technological options today.

As in any museum or theater experience, there is a public arena and a backstage. A facility like the New England Aquarium has massive needs for intermediate staging areas for its aquatic life.

It is planning new support facilities that will serve the chain of marine life as it makes its way from natural habitat to manmade habitat. These facilities will have their own separate needs for technological and architectural sophistication.

The South Pier signals a major shift from entertainment to experience. The dolphin and seal "circus show" is a ubiquitous feature of many an aquatic exhibit around the world.

But in a further change, the New England Aquarium plans to remove the moored Discovery barge and its attendant sea lion show. In its place, the pier will be renovated to support a new extended Harbor Walk.

The Harbor Walk is one example of how the New England Aquarium has celebrated its context within the city. With the Big Dig's suppression of the Central Artery, it has a chance once again to extend its ripples out to the community and flourish.

Boston is well known as a walkable city (which is a good thing, since it is certainly not a drivable city!). The aquarium's master plan provides considerable support for an extension and connection of Boston's Walk to the Sea, which can only further enhance this reputation.

A Future East Wing

The proposed new East Wing endeavors to bring indoors the outdoor experience of the Gulf of Maine. This massive project will more than double the size of the current New England Aquarium's main facility.

Designed by a joint venture Esherick Homsey Dodge & Davis (EHDD) of San Francisco and TAMS of Boston, it will create a microcosm of the gulf that extends from Nantucket, Massachusetts north to Nova Scotia, Canada and from the New England seacoast east to the gulf's outer bounds on Georges Bank in the North Atlantic ocean.

How the proposed new building will develop this environmental set piece is a fascinating story of the symbiotic nature between architecture and facility programming.

Embedded in the expansion plans for the New England Aquarium is the theme of using modern technology (networks, "theatervators") to enhance the visitor experience. These technologies promise to radically change how we interact with the aquarium in years to come.

These themes reveal the richness of the New England Aquarium and its architecture. As ArchitectureWeek focuses on site-specific characteristics, we hope universal themes resonate, including all the design, construction issues that permeate the life cycle of an evolving facility.

Evan H. Shu, FAIA, is an architect with Shu Associates Inc. in Melrose, Massachusetts. He is a frequent contributor to Architectural Record and publisher and editor of "Cheap Tricks," a monthly newsletter for DataCAD users and computer-using architects.

The New England Aquarium will be the first "networked" aquarium. Image: Thinc, courtesy of the New England Aquarium. Boston's "Big Dig" suppression of the Central Artery will create a new urban landscape. Image: EHDD/TAMS, courtesy of the New England Aquarium. The new IMAX 3D theater is on schedule to open in fall 2001. Image: E. Verner Johnson and Associates, Inc., courtesy New England Aquarium. The masterplan will support an enhanced "Harbor Walk" path around the expanded facility. Image: EHDD/TAMS, courtesy of the New England Aquarium. The proposed east wing addition will create a microcosm of the Gulf of Maine. Image: EHDD/TAMS, courtesy of the New England Aquarium. "Theatervators" are part of the moving experience of the new networked aquarium. Image: Thinc, courtesy of the New England Aquarium.   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.