Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
The process involved five teams of architects and exhibit designers
from around the country, all of whom gathered in Charleston. On Mon-
day, at 8 A.M. sharp, we were given the instructions and materials for
the charette; only then were we actually allowed to begin work. At the
end of four days, prior to 5 P.M. on Thursday, we were to submit to
City Hall a set of architectural drawings, a scale model of the aquar-
ium building, and a complete exhibit package, with descriptions and
species lists plus sketches and renderings of each of the exhibits.
We picked up our instructions, retired to a motel suite, and went to
work. We spent the first day or so brainstorming ideas until we'd come
up with rough exhibit concepts. Our plan would focus on the wealth
of animal and plant life in the wetlands of South Carolina; in addi-
tion, it would have exhibits of the inshore and o¤shore habitats of the
coast. After that, it was all nitty-gritty detail work. I designed the ex-
hibits, Richard produced sketches and renderings, and the architec-
tural team worked on the building plans and the model. We lived on
co¤ee, soft drinks, and delivered fast food. We barely made the five
o'clock deadline, but we did and we turned our creations in to City Hall.
As intense and exciting as it had been, by now we were totally exhausted.
The entries were judged the next day, but no overall winner was se-
lected. Instead the city decided to split the competition into categories.
Our team won for best exhibit program, but another team won for
building design. The city later selected those participants they felt did
the best work and put together a working team to design the new South
Carolina Aquarium.
Richard and I teamed up with Linda Rhodes, who had been project
manager of the Monterey Bay Aquarium; exhibit designers Dick Lyons
and Frank Zaremba; and Alan Eskew, the lead architect for the New
Orleans Aquarium. Despite a number of unexpected delays, the South
Carolina Aquarium finally opened on May 19, 2000, to an enthusias-
tic response.
Another interesting project, on which I worked in 1985 together with
Linda Rhodes and exhibit designer Jim Peterson, was the proposed
Hawaiian Ocean Center in Honolulu. The focus was to be an unusual
blend of marine biology, geology, and cultural anthropology showing
how the early Hawaiians incorporated nature into their lives and leg-
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