TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Abstract

1. Introduction

2. Need of an Aquarium

3. Background study

3.1. Evolution of Marine Life

4. Scope of Project

5. Case study

5.1. Antalya Aquarium

5.2. Mora River Aquarium

5.3. Karlovac Freshwater Aquarium and River Museum

5.4. Blue Planet

6. Conclusions

7. References
Abstract:

India has a long coastline of 7,517 kms. It has one of the longest
coastlines compared to most other countries. India also has many fresh
water bodies which house many varieties of fresh water beings. The
people of the country have very less knowledge of the vast resources that
are pooled out from the ocean and the different variety of salt water
beings as well as fresh water beings that are present here.

We have concentrated on the technology required to keep these animals

alive and ignored the behavioural requirements necessary for their well-
adjusted existence. Facility planning relating to the education of the
public, initiation of new research, and the protection of marine mammals
has been thoroughly researched, yet few aquariums have focused on the
behavioural interaction between marine mammals and humans.

Marine life is one of the most important resource of the country and there
is an increasing demand for the development and conservation of our
marine wealth. Aquarium serves the purpose of recreation as well as
education.

This research investigates those issues concerning the behavioural

aspects of interaction between marine mammals and humans. The
research concludes in providing a window towards the water world, which
will somehow create a soft corner for the species living there and will
motivate us not to harm their habitat.
1. Introduction:

Aquariums have been quite popular among the general populace since
the inception of the first public aquarium and remain popular to this day.
It would be a safe bet to say that public aquariums not only educate the
public and plant seeds of interest within them but they are also capable
of generating revenue. The contribution of aquaria to marine
environmental education is vital since not many members of the public,
experience the marine environment often. The first large public aquarium
was opened in the London Zoo in 1853 and was known as the “Fish
House”. The Berlin Public Aquarium was the second large aquarium that
opened in Europe followed by the aquarium of Paris. Meanwhile the
interest of the public in aquatic life showed an upward trend; the New
York Aquarium Journal was first published in 1876 and was considered
as the first aquarium magazine.

The concept of display was series of rectangular, concrete tanks with

glass fronts; Fishes and some invertebrates were placed in the tanks
using taxonomic criteria. Nowadays there are many public aquaria in
Europe, United States, Canada and the Far East. The serial rectangular
tanks have been replaced by a few large tanks characterized by irregular
geometry where various types of habitats are replicated promoting
normal animal behaviour.

Aquaria are also ideal facilities for ex-situ diversity conservation

especially after the global interest on biodiversity conservation and the
United Nations convention on Biological Diversity; The ex-situ keeping of
organisms is strongly recommended if all other measures of conservation
have failed or are difficult to apply.

The marine research institute is an organization dedicated to furthering

the knowledge of the oceans of our world and the organisms that inhabit
them. It is in these labs that the knowledge of the oceans is analysed and
the new findings are discovered.
The main goal of this research is to further the knowledge of the oceans
by providing the research facilities and equipment that are lacking in this
field. The lack of general awareness as to the situation regarding over-
fishing and pollution is staggering. The goal to educate the public was set
up to be undertaken by the exhibition spaces containing the live exhibits
as well as museum displays of fossilized remains. The public zone which
is accessible to the public therefore performs a dual task of educating
and as well as generating revenue.

2. Need of an Aquarium:

The awareness of the vast ocean and its potentials is something that
most of the people who live in a country with one of the biggest coastlines
don’t have proper knowledge about. India, till date does not have a single
Aquarium despite all the resources available. Neither a single aquarium
has been expanded to a large-scale housing marine mammal like shark,
sea otter, etc. This, being the first and one of its kind would be beneficial
to the people as well as the country economically and globally.

People should be able to go through a journey through this aquarium

where they will be able to see marine life in its natural habitat and not just
in a conventional tank. This aquarium would not be only for sole purpose
of entertainment but also would cater the marine enthusiasts and marine
biologists. It would educate people not only about the marine life but also
about the amazing flora and fauna in its natural habitat that survive
underwater. It would also teach us how our human habits affect these
creatures. It will teach us how we can live in co-ordination without
harming the marine life.

Educating people in this respect and stressing the urgency of

conservation would not be better achieved than through an entertainment
facility. Thus, proposals like these go a long way in educating people
through entertainment to make them realise their responsibilities towards
other life forms. Man’s dependence on sea and the life it nurtures cannot
be ignored. Man, therefore needs to contribute to its symbiotic
relationship.
3. Background study:

Ocean nearly covers four fifth of the earth's surface, being such an
enormous portion, it is very essential to protect it. It is a belief that life on
earth, began from the oceans. The oceans are known to have covered
the entire space, it took centuries of evolution, to lead to formation of land.
Moreover, water now covers 2/3 of earth surface and it is to this, that our
planet owes its unique position in the universe. The one thing that
distinguishes our planet is the existence of life on it. The first form of
existence of life is said to have been an aquatic environment in the form
of unicellular organisms and lead to the evolution of the most advanced
and complicated living being -the "MAN" Oceans are thus the origin of
life.

3.1. Evolution of the marine life:

the ocean is a home to billions of microscopic creatures. For ages we

have used it as a hunting ground and dumping ground just for our own
benefits without thinking what lies beneath it. Now it is a high time
everyone needs to realise that beneath the waves lays a vast virgin
territory every bit as challenging as outer space.

Years ago, our planet was very different from what we know now,
volcanoes threw out wet dish and lava and clouds of hydrating ammonia
and carbon dioxide swirled overhead As lava cooled, it rained and all the
depressions on the crust became oceans as the lightning struck
chemicals in the sea started to link together. Eventually molecule formed
that could reproduce itself however it did not produce itself. So, a variety
of organisms evolved.

Eventually the mats of blue algae blanketed parts of the sea bed. They
gave out oxygen as a waste product slowly enough oxygen was built in
the atmosphere to support animal life. similarly crabs bivalves and
horseshoe crabs evolved. The evolved lampreys with bony plates round
their head, next were the sharks with their skeleton of soft car bags this
Was the main step in the evolution of animals with vertebra the
vertebrates. The first vertebrates evolved were the fishes Then arrived
mammals like whales, which rule a major part of the sea because of their
size. Dolphins and seals also come under the category of mammals.

Fishes have truly an ancient lineage, one stretching to more than 400
million years. By way of comparison, whales, the voyagers of the great
oceans as they seem to us, have existed for over 55 million years. Yet
though there is this vast history of fishes we know surprisingly very little
of them. Their domain the aquatic regions of the world comprising the
whole 70% of the earth surface, became available to serious scientific
study only about 50 years ago. The breakthrough came along with the
innovation of the scuba diving instruments. This gave the aquarists
an opportunity to observe relatively uninterrupted, the natural behaviour
of the many species of the marine life. From the past archaeological
evidences, we are aware that fishes have been supreme food source
since prehistoric times to the coastal tribes and the people living near the
coastal areas, Shallow swimming fishes were taken with rudimentary
spears and clubs deeper swimming was taken with nets. But it was not
until Egyptian times that we got to- know of fishes being kept and bred
not only as ready source of food but, more importantly from an aquarist’s
point of view, because of their use as an ornament

4. Scope of project:

Urbanization, progressive development and pollution have resulted in

decline of marine species in and around India. This has resulted in
decline of tourism and the fishery industry; this has led to a great fall in
the level of income by the government. Indian water is a gold mine for
ornamental fish traders with more than 100 varieties of species and same
for exotic fishes, the fauna found in Indian water is largely used for
keeping healthy water environments in aquariums which leads to longer
fish life. The rocks are also widely used for decorating the tanks.

India has very few aquatic centres and as such there is a need to boost
the same. The aquarium has a very good scope in India because it will
be the first of its kind. It would be able to exhibit the complete diverse
collection of marine life in the world with an entertainment package. It
would be something new for the people of India because a marine park
at a very large scale has never made in India. It will have a combination
of educating and entertaining the masses with its conservation program.

5. Case Study:

5.1. Antalya Aquarium

Architect- Bahadir Kul Architects

Location- Antalya, Turkey

Area- 12000 sq.m

The main design decisions of Antalya Aquarium project are determined

with desire of vanishing in silhouette and creating harmony with
topography. Pulling back of the ground floor, a shaded public area is
created to beware from sun and profit from wind.
This shaded public area is the point of approach, gather and diffusion of
the aquarium project. Also, the shell of this area determines the
information and fast-food areas, amphitheatre and box office with its
curves and waves.

The ramp in this public area, reaches the public exhibition site with the
entrance of aquarium and snow world. The travel path starts with
aquarium information and sea fish. The path continues with cave fish,
world rivers, jellyfish, Turkey fish, predatory fish, sharks, the main 5
million litres tank and finals with 131 m tunnel. The each stop in this path
is designed with its own character.

Conclusions:

The spaces are designed with the intentions of merging the structure with
the topography of the area and creating harmony with it. The ground floor
is removed thus, creating a shaded public area to protect from the sun
and profit from the wind. This makes the entry as well as gathering points
easy for navigation.

5.2. Mora River Aquarium

Architects- Promontorio.

Location- Parque Ecológico do Gameiro, 7490-909 Mora, Portugal

Area- 170000.0 m2

The River Aquarium is located in Mora, a small municipality in the

Northern Alentejo region. Given the need to shift regional development
from the dependence of an increasingly weaker agriculture economy into
the environmental tourism and leisure market, the municipality launched
a design-and-build competition for an aquarium that could somehow
embody the paradigms of biodiversity of the Iberian river.
Integrated in the Ecological Wild Park of Gameiro and bordering the Raia
stream, the building stands amidst a secluded field of cork and olive trees
removed from the more intense leisure and fishing activities of the river.
The plot's gently undulating topography forms a basin at the confluence
of two small watercourses. Placing the aquarium at the edge of this quasi-
natural retaining lake brought together the fundamental relation between
its thematic contents and the presence of fresh water.
Given the blazing Alentejo sun and the need to create shade, the building
was devised as a compact and monolithic volume with a pitched shelter
of thin white pre-cast concrete porticos with single spans of 33 metres,
evoking the profile of the canonical Alentejo whitewash barns known as
"montes". The shading and cross ventilation systems along with the water
circuits foster the reduction of cooling energy, the sustainable increase
of humidity and the wellbeing of animal and plant life.

Standing on a massive concrete plinth with a built-in stairway-cum-ramp

entry, the pitched shed veils a set of mute boxes that contain the
programme, namely; reception, ticketing and shop, cafeteria, changing
exhibits hall, documentation centre, research and education, live exhibits,
multimedia and a small auditorium. Inside, the exhibition spaces tend to
be dark, in order to minimize UV impact on the live exhibits and allow
visitors an in-depth viewing of the aquariums. The outdoor void between
these programme boxes and the pitched shed generates not only
accelerated viewpoints onto the outside but also a promenade that
culminates in the passage through a bridge over the lake which in itself
is also a live exhibit of animals and plants collected and nurtured in the
region.
The live exhibits, the main feature of an aquarium, reproduce, through
complex life support systems, the habitat conditions of different regions
allowing to exhibit side-by-side the various animals and plants. On the
basement, these support systems guaranty stabilities of water
temperature, ph., quality control and filtering for each habitat parameter,
including a duct gallery below each exhibit to supply and monitor the
water. For this building, the water is taken from a well on the plot, pumped
into a deposit and regenerated after use. In addition, areas for animal
quarantine, food preparation, laboratories, staff facilities, and logistics
complete the technical floor.

Other than the in-situ concrete cast plinth and the white pre-cast
porticoes, the programme boxes are built in polished finish plastered
terracotta masonry with steel frames and varnished MDF carpentry. With
a total built area of 2000 sq.-m, the Mora River Aquarium includes more
than 500 live specimens and is expected to receive 200,000 visitors per
year.
5.3. Karlovac Freshwater Aquarium and River Museum

Architect- 3LHD

Location- Ul. Gornje Mekušje, 47000, Karlovac, Croatia

Area- 2915.0 m2

The Karlovac freshwater aquarium is located by the river Korana. The

building volume is partially dug into the ground and covered with earthen
embankments and greenery from its outer edges. The design concept
was inspired by the city’s historic center “Karlovac star” surrounded by
“Šanci” – defensive earthen walls and mounds. The goal was to form a
new city focal point and to validate the promenade by the river. Three
walking routes were formed: towards the city center and the river;
towards the south and the sports and recreational center; and towards
east and the road access. A new point is located at the junction of the
walking routes - a square around which all of the aquarium facilities are
located: entrance spaces, souvenir shop, cafe bar, library and offices.
The aquarium exhibition displays the flora and fauna of Croatian rivers
and their ecosystems. The display layout follows the flow of a karst river
– together with its flora, fauna and biodiversity. The exhibition starts
outside, with a water surface on the square. It continues inside the
building with a system of ramps that wind like a river down into the
basement level because specific plant and animal species require
complete control of lighting conditions in order to survive. Aquariums are
placed along, above and below the visitor paths. Along the pedestrian
ramps the fish are first observed from above, as they are when walking
along the river; and then from the sides - they can be seen below the
water surface. After the headwaters (upper part of a river) the sounds
quiet down, visitors plunge into caves that feature endemic species which
are often found in subterranean streams. The space expands, lighting
comes from the tanks, and visitors can take a break in the central area,
listen to the sounds recorded in caves, and observe the exhibited
endemic species. After the cave, the visitors arrive to an aquarium with
larger specimens of rare species that have disappeared from their natural
habitats in Croatia. The visitors can observe the fish and aquatic plants
that live in warmer parts of the riverbed. The aquariums are seen from
the side, and then from underneath as the visitors walk into a tunnel that
evokes immersion into a river. After the tunnel, visitors pass through a
series of aquariums with water lilies and rushes usually present
downstream, in the marshy habitats of a river. The exhibition ends with a
system of cascading aquariums whose biotopes display waterfalls and a
travertine barrier.

Finally, a stairway and an elevator return the visitors to the entrance hall
through the gift shop. A space for analysis of the technological
parameters of water, a scientific research center and fish
aclamatization spaces are located in the center of the layout.

Karlovac freshwater aquarium is co-financed from the European

Regional Development Fund under the “Regional Competitiveness”
2007-20013 Operational Programme. The total value of the project is
36.691.939,28 Kuna’s, of which the grant from the European Regional
Development Fund is 36,222,282.45 Kuna’s.
5.4. The Blue Planet

Architects- 3XN

Location- Denmark

Area- 10000.0 m2

The Whirlpool Inspired by the shape of water in endless motion,

Denmark’s new National Aquarium, The Blue Planet is shaped as a great
whirlpool, and the building itself tells the story of what awaits inside. The
whirlpool concept originates in a narrative about water, and as an image,
is at once both abstract and figurative. It stirs attention with its distinctive
vortex blades, but at the same time, as a building, changes dramatically
depending on viewing angle, distance and daylight conditions. From the
air, almost entirely white, its contours are reminiscent of a starfish. From
the front, the building’s organic lines are evocative of silvery-grey waves
or a vast sea creature, and on closer inspection, the facade patterning is
reminiscent of fish scales. This is a building that invites interpretation.

The Blue Planet is located on an elevated headland towards the sea,

north of Kastrup Harbor. The building's distinctive shape is clearly visible
for travelers arriving by plane to the nearby Copenhagen Airport. The
facade is covered with more than 33,000 small diamond-shaped
aluminum shingles, which adapts to the building's organic form. The
whirlpool concept was chosen as ideal not only for its visual associations,
but also because it resolved a a practical challenge in the design brief: it
ensures that one or more of the whirlpool arms, with relative ease and
without disrupting the building’s integrity nor the operation of the
aquarium, can be extended with more than 30 % in order to create more
exhibition space.
Visitors reach the entrance by following the first and longest of the
whirlpool’s arms, already starting in the landscape. With a smooth
transition the landscape surpasses for the building, while the outdoor
ponds mark the unique experience that awaits the aquarium visitors as
they enter: the whirlpool has pulled them into another world - a world
beneath the surface of the sea. A circular foyer is the center of motion
around the aquarium, and it is here visitors choose which river, lake or
ocean to explore. By enabling multiple routes the risk of queues in front
of individual aquariums is reduced. The interiors range from grand to
intimate settings, allowing the architecture and the exhibits to jointly
convey an array of diverse environments and moods. The curved ceilings
of the aquarium are reminiscent of the baleens of a large whale.
The exhibition is a total concept offering all visitors a sensuous and
captivating experience of life in and under the water. A mixture of light,
sound, advanced AV-technology, projections, film, interactivity, graphics,
illustrations and signs aimed at all age levels ensures that every visitor,
regardless of background or interests, has the best experience possible.
As the only aquarium in Denmark, The Blue Planet focuses on all aquatic
life – from cold and warm waters, fresh and salt. In total, The Blue Planet
contains app. 7 million liters of water and 53 aquariums and displays. The
restaurant's decor is based on the colors and expressions that
characterize Nordic nature. The restaurant faces south-east, and thus
offers a panoramic view of the sea. The outdoors facilities include a
terrace with seating, a pond with carps and a tank with sea lions. The sea
lions can also be looked at from the inside of the aquarium.

The building extends beyond the original coastline, placing special

requirements on the facility's structures in a terrain with tendency to
subsidence. The structure is founded on piles and all of the sewage
structures are suspended in the concrete structure. The building's
architectural facade design forms the basis for the design of the steel
structures. The load-bearing system consists of 54 unique steel frames,
which via their radial positioning and geometry forms the base of the
curved facades. A service line was built 1.7 km out into the Øresund to
obtain suitable water for the aquariums. Moreover, the cooling system for
aquariums and climate system for public areas also use seawater. The
Blue Planet has an outstanding location on the shores of Øresund, only
eight kilometres from the Copenhagen City Hall Square. Motorways,
Copenhagen Airport, the Øresund Bridge, Metro and international trains
are within few hundred meters.

Conclusions:

The aquarium is greatly inspired by the nature as the architect intended

on keeping the structure as close to the nature as possible aesthetically.
It is shaped as great whirlpool which the central round rooms lead to the
five different main exhibits. The whirlpool depicts the world beneath the
surface of the sea.
6. Conclusions:

Aquarium business service design is an emerging field of business in

India. This study aimed to explore the current practices and the
customers’ experience, expectation, perception and view of a aquarium
keeping with regards to the service design.

The design manages to provide the large spaces required for the
attraction of the public to an institution such as an aquarium and hopefully
will leave the public wanting for more experiences of the sort.

7. References:

Coles T.F. and Butterworth A.J. (1976), The use of knotless netting in
fisheries research, Fisheries Management, 7, 53-56.

Fujiya M. and Bardach J.E. (1966), A comparison between the external

taste sense of marine and freshwater fishes, Bulletin of the Japanese
Society of Scientific Fisheries, 32, 45-56.

Hartley W.G. (1975), Electrical fishing apparatus and its safety, Fisheries
Management, 6, 73-77.

Hawkins A.D. (Ed.) (1981), Aquarium Systems. Academic Press,

London, 452pp.

Hawkins A.D. and Anthony P.D. (1981), Aquarium design and

construction, In: Hawkins A.D. (Ed.),

Aquarium Systems. Academic Press, London, 452pp.

Ehler, Charles N. and Daniel J. Basta. "Intergrated Management Of

Couastal Areas And Marine Sanctuaries: A New Paradigm." Oceanus 36-
3 (FaU 1993): 6.

Anderson, Herald T. ed. The Biology of Marine Mammals. New York and
London: Academic Press, 1969.