Design and Construction

Design
The National Aquarium in Baltimore’s main building on Pier 3 was designed by Massachusetts-based Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc., under the architectural direction of Peter Chermayeff. The innovative design was widely acclaimed when the Aquarium opened in 1981, and today it endures as a visual landmark and cherished icon for Baltimore.

Peter Chermayeff, Peter Sollogub and Bobby Poole are all former principals of Cambridge Seven Associates. The three combined forces in 1998 to form CSP, Inc., which specializes in aquarium projects and designed the National Aquarium in Baltimore’s 64,500 square foot expansion.

The expansion project marked the first time an Aquarium had returned to Chermayeff’s team for an expansion project and the new crystal pavilion’s geometry and design complement the Aquarium’s existing buildings on Piers 3 and 4.

Bobby Poole is the principal in charge of the Aquarium’s expansion.

Construction
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. and Barton Malow Company – the team that built the Raven’s home, M&T Bank Stadium – constructed the National Aquarium in Baltimore’s 64,500 square-foot expansion to the main building. Under a partnership called Aqua Venture, the two firms each brought unique strengths and experience to the project.

Whiting-Turner was founded in 1909 by G.W.C. Whiting and LeBaron Turner. It’s the largest construction company and the largest privately-held firm headquartered in Baltimore.

Barton Malow, founded in Michigan in 1924 and established in Maryland in 1989, provides construction management, program management, design/build, general contracting, technology and rigging services.

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