CREW Blue Ribbon Awards Program Book 2022

The Maritime Aquarium Addition and Renovations Norwalk, CT

This project’s accomplishments position it as one of Connecticut’s most unique and impactful projects of 2021: a 160,000-gallon harbor seal habitat built by experts from across America and a state-of-the-art 4D IMAX theater bring world-class education and entertainment to visitors, young and old. Excellent project management kept The Maritime Aquarium open during the 22 months of the build with no disruption of aquatic life support systems during any phase of construction, without any hazards to the marine life, relying on Lean techniques and BIM modeling to preclude problems and maintain momentum. Given the uncommon hurdles the marshy site imposed on site and foundation work, innovative rethinking of methods and approaches enabled construction in a very compact, regulated and demanding site with soils unsuited to the work. BIM modeling to a 0.25in. tolerance led to a picture-perfect installation of the complicated aquatic life support system for the new seal exhibit. From precise location of raceways for 4D effects in the IMAX theater to critical site and foundation work in confined, environmentally sensitive spaces, the most difficult challenges of this project were met. The project complied successfully with community diversity hiring from the surrounding area and delivered a beautiful, updated attraction that draws the Norwalk community and visitors from the tri-state area, New England and literally around the world. Sensitivity to the external environment (protecting the adjacent riverbank and marsh, removing/filtering/returning tidal waters, excavating and removing contaminated soils) and the internal environment (the sensitive marine life housed inside dozens of exhibits and the hundreds of daily visitors) made for a safe project with no environmental breaches. Because the project came in under budget, The Maritime Aquarium was able to enlarge their meerkat exhibit. The project was named a finalist for a 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, “the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate significant impact in their communities. “The joint venture team’s exceptional work,“ says Dave Truedson, Maritime Aquarium COO, ”has not only improved the facility but has assisted our plan to maintain the Aquarium’s ranking among the best in the country.” Size : 37,000 sf Project Team: O&G Industries, AP Construction, Beyer Blinder Belle, Norwalk Marine Contractors, Capasso Enterprises, Performance Plumbing & Heating, Richards Corporation, Reynolds Polymer Technology, Aquatic Exhibits International, COST of Wisconsin, SimEx-Iwerks Owner : The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

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