Barcelona Aquarium

The project forms part of a cultural and commercial complex that has transformed Barcelona’s old harbour into a new leisure space in a unique setting that faces the marina frontage of La Barceloneta.

This is a cultural building that responds to the singular demands of the place and the specifications of a highly specialized brief. 

To strengthen the relation between spectator and object, the project implements a descending layout that heightens the sensation of descent to the bottom of the sea.

The centrepiece is a large seawater tank, the oceanarium, which can accommodate large species. It is 40 metres in diameter, and visitors take part in the seabed spectacle as they walk through two Perspex tunnels, 105 metres long, one around the edge of the oceanarium and one through the centre.

The forceful geometry of the different aquariums generates a zigzagging path through the various ecosystems.