33
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
JUNE
2014
PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS
The aquarium opened its doors in
1995 and prides itself on being open
365 days a year. It is one of the top
tourist attractions in Cape Town and houses
over 3 000 living sea animals, including sharks,
fishes, turtles and penguins.
Major refurbishment required
The walls of the existing I&J Predator Exhibit
and the Ocean Basket Kelp Forest Exhibit were
built with a waterproof lining intended to
provide defence against water ingress.
Soon after opening, this waterproof lining
started coming away from the concrete in
certain areas and, in 1999, aquarium staff
started monitoring the ingress of chlorides
into the concrete. By 2013, contamination
in some areas was found to be beyond
acceptable levels.
“Aurecon was contracted to develop a
strategy that rendered the tanks structur-
ally safe for the short term (3-5 years). This
involved reinforcing critical areas by attaching
custom shaped steel plates. This strategy was
implemented in 2013 in order to ensure that
the aquarium remained operational and open
to the public. To extend the tanks’ life for at
least a further 30 years, however, a complete
refurbishment of the tanks is necessary,” says
Henry Herring, Aurecon project manager.
Aurecon will be utilising design experience
gained working on the Ushaka Marine World
Aquarium in Durban and extensive experi-
ence in designing water retaining structures
to ensure that the material specification and
design of the new tanks is water-tight in the
aggressive aerated marine environment.
“The highly complex refurbishment
programme of the older tanks minimises
the need for major demolition. It involves
remedial work to the existing concrete, the
rebuilding of the concrete rebates for the
acrylic viewing panels, the installation of a
galvanic protection system and, finally, a full
concrete re-lining of the inside of the tanks.
This programme will commence in 2015,”
comments Herring.
Extension project called for
In order to house many of the animals in
the current two main exhibits, an extension
project in the formof a new large scale exhibit
is underway. “The exhibit will have a capacity
of 1,2 million litres and will feature a 9 m x
4,5 m viewing panel, and an acrylic walk-
through tunnel,” says Herring.
It will house large ocean predators and will
aid in drawing crowds while the existing tanks
undergo refurbishment.
Construction of the new exhibit officially
commenced in January 2014 and is slated for
completion by December 2014.
“Aurecon is proud to be working on
a project that showcases the best of the
continent’s sea life. The Two Oceans
Aquarium is a key tourist attraction in Cape
Town and we look forward to helping ensure
it continues to operate as a beacon of excel-
lence,” concludes Herring.
TWO OCEANS AQUARIUM
EXTENSION AND REFURBISHMENT
Aurecon has been appointed as structural, civil and wet services
engineer on a new large-scale exhibit as well as the complete
refurbishment of the two main exhibits at the Two Oceans
Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa.
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