WOW structure challenged architects, engineers

The $52 million Wonders of Wildlife American National Fish & Wildlife Museum opened Nov. 2 with more than 130 species of fish and 160 species of animals on display in the sturdy and beautiful 92,000-square-foot facility.

"It is an intensely complicated structure on all fronts," said Bruce Colony, director of operations for the museum.

Colony stated the structure is intended to look like a natural building that rises up on an urban corner. The sleek modern mountain lodge design features lots of windows, which not only add to the visual appeal, but provide natural lighting that changes throughout the day as the sun passes over from east to west.

Peter Kuttner, architect, FAIA, with Massachusetts-based Cambridge Seven Associates Inc., the architecture firm for the project, said the designers definitely wanted the building to have an Ozarks look to it, using indigenous rock and wood.

"In a way, we were trying to create an Ozarks oasis," he said.

Groundwork for the structure began in November 1999 with 124 piers drilled in varying lengths to bedrock. Spring-field's Anderson Engineering Inc. worked as civil engineers on this phase of the project, Colony said. It took months to drill and check the piers. The engineers at Anderson had to do regular inspections and run numerous compaction and soil tests at the site.

Syska-Hennessy Inc. of Cambridge, Mass. was the primary mechanical/electrical engineer for the museum, and Weidlinger Associates, also of Cam-bridge, acted as primary structural engineer. Those firms worked with the architecture firm, Cambridge Seven Associ-ates Inc.

"These are highly specialized groups that work with complicated structures," Colony said.

Architects from Cambridge Seven made several trips to the Ozarks to get input from board members and to study the area. "We even visited several old mills in the area," Kuttner said.

Coordination between the architects, engineers and the contractors was necessary throughout the construction. Every change created a domino effect of more changes to make it all work together, ac-cording to Colony.

The 7,000 cubic yards of concrete augmented by 967 tons of rebar creates a structure that will last for many years. Colony noted that cement in the average driveway has a density of 3,500 pounds per square inch. The concrete in the museum is 6,000 psi, which is about as strong as it can get, he said.

The museum displays about 4 million pounds of water, in both salt water and fresh water exhibits. Added to the concrete, steel and wood used in the structure, it takes a strong building to support this weight.

"This is one tough structure, built like the Pentagon," Colony said.

Another challenge that faced engineers was the water transport system that moves water about three times per hour through a complex filtering system, ac-cording to Colony, who said it is as high-tech and complicated as a sewer treatment system.

The water temperature ranges from 58 degrees in the trout stream to 82 degrees in some other tanks and can be controlled to one-tenth of a degree. Without the use of harsh chemicals, the water in the fresh water displays is filtered to remove additives and pumped into the tanks to replace water contaminated with waste and to prevent bacterial growth.

The saltwater for the Out to Sea aquarium is mixed on-site, changed regularly and moved to holding tanks to be recycled. The recycling process helps keep down the cost, Colony said.

The saltwater system alone cost about $4 million to construct. To accommodate all the water displays, a total of 10 miles of pipes, hooked to rows of pumps and filters, line the basement of the facility, Colony said. Intricate computer systems monitor every aspect of the environment to make sure everything is running properly.

Though the computers provide the data, attendants are on hand to monitor every step of the processes to make it all work like it should. The operation of the complex is a hands-on process, Colony said. A night crew of no less than two people is on hand to make sure all systems run properly while the facility is closed.

Colony said the interior design of the museum was created in response to one of the most successful trends in interactive museum models. It is arranged so that the visitor goes into the exhibition from the main lobby on the upper level above the forest canopy. Birds fly freely around this area, with a waterfall suggesting the existence of the clearwater stream at the next level below.

The visitor moves down through a series of displays featuring both stuffed and live animals to the subterranean level where the fish and water animals can be observed in their natural habitat. The final display, the bat cave, brings the visitor full circle back to the lobby.

Underwater viewing of aquatic life is done through seamless acrylic that is produced by only three specialized companies in the entire world, Colony said.

Kuttner noted that Cambridge Seven Associates always considers the exhibits first.

The concept of getting people to walk down from the tree tops made sense. People are more willing to walk down than to walk up, he said.

In reference to museums in general Colony said, "The draw to go look at bones is dwindling." Museums are changing in response to this trend.

He went on to say that people want to be immersed in the natural environment, where they are learning without even realizing it.

Colony said Wonders of Wildlife is one of the most complicated facilities of its kind in the world and the first hybrid aquarium/museum built anywhere. In-formation about the musuem's displays and hours of operation is available on its Web site, www.wondersofwildlife .org.