International Expo "Water and Sustainable Development"
Aquarium, 'Waterscapes'
Aquarium :: "Waterscapes"
Architectural definition of the project
This will be the biggest freshwater aquarium in Europe. It will hold 5,000 specimens, 300 species of fauna typical of different river systems from around the world, displayed in over 60 tanks and terrariums. This will be the only aquarium in Spain with such a rich and diverse range of aquatic species, including reptiles, mammals and amphibians. This pavilion was conceived for educational, research and dissemination purposes.
It is a journey through the natural landscape of five of the great rivers of the world, linked by the World River, a large central tank which symbolises the origins of the world and the relationship of the 6 continents with their roots in Pangaea, the original supercontinent.
In the aquarium visitors will be the protagonists in the different ecosystem settings, absorbing them with their five senses thanks to the realism of the exhibition with sounds, birdcalls, humidity and even fog.
The River Aquarium, with a total of 60 tanks and terrariums, will house a wide ranging representation of the fauna characteristic of each of the 5 ecological and geographical regions: the giant Nile crocodiles, catfish, arawanas, arapaimas, freshwater moray eels, Ebro River otters and a range of turtles, snakes and lizards.
Exposition: “Waterscapes”
Purposes of the exposition:
- To transport the visiting public to five large river basins.
Main themes:
- The Nile.
The journey through this region begins with the species of the great lakes of eastern Africa, one of the sources of the Nile. Halfway along is a beach with live crocodiles, and the journey ends with the species of the delta and an exhibition on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. - The Mekong.
The abrupt mountain passes of the Himalayas are the first scene in this journey, with species from the upper course. A paddy field is the background for mid-river species, and a daylight garden of orchids gives way to the species from the lower course, the Pacific Ocean and coral reefs. - The Amazon.
Divided into three areas, the first begins in El Ígapo with the flooded Amazon jungle, with huge white-trunked coconut trees and mud-covered mangroves. There are also areas with colonies of giant water lilies. In the middle level visitors can enjoy a stroll through the tree canopies of the forest. The mangrove swamp is the third area, ending in an exhibition on the Atlantic Ocean. - The Murray-Darling River.
Visitors begin their journey in the flooded regions and continue through desert areas and the middle course of the river system. The journey ends in a video exhibition of the bird life at the Murray Mouth. - The Ebro.
The biodiversity of the Ebro is represented in two areas: the mountain cave and the course of the river. The journey begins in a limestone cave. The middle course represents the flora of the riverside woods. The journey ends with an exhibition on the Mediterranean Sea. - The central core of the River Aquarium is the “World River”: an aquarium representing the past, “when all the continents were united as a single island surrounded by ocean” and which will house a representation of river species from other regions.
