New fish and pinnipeds exhibit at Planet Neptune Oceanarium

For more than 10 years at the St. Petersburg Oceanarium, trained seals could demonstrate their skills only to a small group of spectators standing almost close to the safety glass. Our company has created not only stands for hundreds of spectators, but additionally placed a gallery of seven original aquariums with freshwater and marine fauna of the North-West of Russia.   

It was necessary to build a new, modern tribune of variable height. Secondly, the space under the podium was missing. The customer wanted to place there a completely new exhibition of marine and freshwater fauna. Thirdly, the transfer of the gift store to the new premises was to take away the cross streams and give a new impulse to the development of the oceanarium. In order to solve these problems comprehensively the owner of the Planet Neptune shopping mall, represented by Rubin Closed Joint Stock Company, invited Aqua Logo Engineering. 

The design revealed serious limitations on the permissible ceiling loads in this hall. This meant that it was no longer possible to build a large aquarium below the podiums. Instead a small aquarium gallery was designed in a low niche. It was necessary to create a new, interesting and unusual environment in a small space that would look fresher than the entire previous exposition. 

We had to dismantle and remove more than a hundred cubic meters of structures and construction debris. And not by noisy methods, mostly at night, with seals behind the wall. After that new bleachers with two modern staircases were built. Under the bleachers we placed an aquarium exhibit of seven small aquariums and a technical area for maintenance.

A lot of design solutions were used in the 150 sq. m. area. These are complex metal structures of the curved staircase, frameless triplex railings, special glass window sills under the windows of the seals, painted in the color of the wall. These are special non-slip terrace board steps. These are unique light fixtures covering the supporting consoles of the bleachers. The four types of artistic photo wallpaper on the walls and ceiling of the hall. Even the floor of the hall imitates the sea. Designer benches, unexpected, but very interesting solution of framing of all the aquariums in the natural style from specially treated plywood - the result of long consultations with the customer.

One of the most difficult parts of the construction was the space under the podium. With all our efforts, there wasn't much room for visitors. We had to make sure that people didn't feel squeezed by the low ceiling. To do this we chose an original ceiling finish with photo wallpaper. 

We tried to light up the aquariums and the space around them as much as possible. The massive consoles that hold up the stands have long been a problem area. We had very unusual lights made to our order, completely hiding the metal structures. Now everyone thinks it's just an element of the interior. 

In the new aquariums the St. Petersburg oceanarium will present the inhabitants of fresh water bodies of the Leningrad region and the salty waters of the Baltic. That's because this whole hall is called "The Baltic Zone". 

In the adjacent aquariums with hemispherical windows, a remarkable White Sea sparrow fish, aka pinagor. It has a suction cup on its belly, with which it is held on a rock during the surf. This system maintains a temperature of about 10°C, optimal for the inhabitants of the White Sea.

As always, looking back on the work done, some things I would like to do differently. But in general the exposition that is open for public since March 26th pleases both the customer and the guests of the oceanarium. And it means we did our best for a reason.