St. Louis, USA – PGAV Destinations, a global leader in the planning and design of unique destinations, is pleased to announce their successful project at the Georgia Aquarium. The newly-renovated Georgia-Pacific Cold Water Quest Gallery features redesigned exhibits for an exciting immersion into the habitats of two of the Aquarium’s marquee animals: African penguins and Southern sea otters.
Guests enjoy twice the number of birds in the brand-new African penguin exhibit, with its innovative and engaging habitat. The birds’ new accommodations feature more than 25 nesting areas integrated into a naturalistic rockwork environment that encourages breeding behavior. A state-of-the-art lighting system mimics the natural light cycle, utilizing the technology of 44 independently controlled, high-output florescent and LED lights to follow the actual sunrise and sunset times for the northern hemisphere. This cycle provides animal enrichment while fostering health and husbandry.
Children come face-to-face with their feathered favorites, with over 75 feet of new views into two pools through acrylic tunnels and pop-up windows. Children are invited to experience the crawl-through tunnels to see not only underwater activity but also the porpoising behavior of the animals, when they pick up speed swimming and actually jump out of the water right above the heads of viewers.
“From a design perspective, this exhibit retrofit allows for a larger habitat with flexibility to house more animals or even a new and different species in the future,” states Emily Howard, PGAV Destinations Project Manager. “It also ties with an adjacent expansion, so the two designs work together to maximize the enhanced spaces.”
The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia, is said to be the world’s largest with more than eight million gallons of water and more aquatic life than any other aquarium. The mission of the Georgia Aquarium is to be an entertaining, educational and scientific institution featuring exhibits and programs of the highest standards, offering engaging and exciting guest experiences and promoting the conservation of aquatic biodiversity throughout the world.
PGAV Destinations is a global leader in the planning and design of unique destinations. Key clients include industry leaders such as Delaware North, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, the Biltmore Companies, Bass Pro Shops, Ameristar Casinos, Universal Studios, The Gettysburg Foundation, Niagara Parks Commission, The National Aviary, and many others.
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