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S ensational P lanet

s a nation located on a peninsula and a series of islands, Denmark is


quite literally surrounded by the sea. So it is no surprise that its national aquarium would be a popular attraction. But the
newest version of this facility is more than just a new home for the scientific and cultural institution, which since 1939 had
been located at a site in Charlottenlund, north of Kbenhavn (Copenhagen), and expanded several times. The new aquarium,
now known as Den Bl Planet (the Blue Planet), was designed to be considerably larger than the original facility. Indeed,
its various tanks and exhibits contain more than 7 million L of water, compared with approximately 1 million L at the old
aquarium. The Blue Planet is also a startlingly iconic structure, featuring a form that, in plan, resembles a swirling whirlpool.

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Adam Mrk courtesy of 3XN A/S

Denmarks new national aquarium, the Blue Planet, features a


uniquely aquatic design: five steel-framed structures that swirl out
from a central foyer, the overall form reminiscent of a whirlpool.
Only in this case the curving segments seek to draw in visitors
to experience the science and sensations found both on and
beneath the worlds many waters. . . . . . By Robert L. Reid

In this case, however, the five curving struc- Designed to resemble the form predict how much the land may subside in
of a giant whirlpool, the Blue
tures that create the whirlpool shape do not
the future, explains Mikkel Wyrtz, an MOE
Planet aquarium is meant to
structural engineer. Consequently, the engidrag ships down to their doom. Instead, they
aesthetically represent the
neers designed a foundation system comprisdraw in visitors who are eager to experience
aquatic world found within
ing approximately 1,200 reinforced-concrete
the science and sensations of our water-filled
its curving walls and roof.
piles. These deep piles, each 300 by 300 mm
planet and all of the life that exists on and bein cross section, support the entire footprint
neath the seas.
Located in Kastrup, south of Kbenhavn and close to of the irregularly shaped, 10,000 m structure.
Typically, the piles were 12 m long so that they could
Kbenhavns Lufthavne (Copenhagen Airport), the approximately DKr730-million (U.S.$136-million) Blue Planet reach the solid layer of marine clay beneath the reclaimed maopened last year. It was designed by the Kbenhavn-based terial, but some had lengths of as much as 16 m, depending
architecture firm 3XN A/S and engineered by MOE A/S, of on the location. The largest concentrations of piles were loSborg, Denmark. Appropriately, the aquarium was con- cated beneath the heaviest portions of the building, especially
structed on reclaimed land overlooking the resund, the an enormous saltwater tank designated the Ocean, which is
strait that separates Sjlland, the Danish island on which filled with water to a height of 8 m and produces a hydrostatKbenhavn is located, from Sweden. The site is an elevated ic pressure of 80 kPa.
headland roughly 4 m above sea level and is prone to subsidGiven the Blue Planets proliferation of piles, all of the
ence. Given the wide variations in the types of fill material soil beneath the aquarium building could actually settle quite
used at the site, which was reclaimed prior to its selection as a bit without any problems for the structure, Wyrtz notes.
the new home for the aquarium, it is nearly impossible to
The unique curving form of the Blue Planet building

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MOE A / S

3XN A/S, above; Adam Mrk courtesy of 3XN A/S, below

The overall whirlpool form features a series of curving segments, or arms.

photocredit goes here

has been compared to various shapes in nature, including a architect then provided the vision that ultimately won the
starfish, a nautilus shell, and even a galaxy. But the design competition in 2008, Nielsen says.
actually began with the name of the projectBlue PlanAs the father of four children, Nielsen has visited numeretand the round shape that it implied, says Kim Herforth ous aquariums throughout the world, and he has often been
Nielsen, the founder of 3XN and the firms creative direc- less than impressed by the exteriors of these buildings, which
tor. The aquariums name had already been selected when rarely give any aesthetic hint as to what will be found inside.
3XN and MOE entered the international design competition I always wondered why nobody tries to design the aquarium
launched by the Bygningsfonden Den Bl Plan[to look] like water or fish or something like that,
et, the building fund for the aquarium,
he explains. So he was delighted when the
explains Nielsen. As a result, the
Blue Planet project gave him the opearliest iterations of the design
portunity to do just that.
featured a circular buildThe overall whirlpool
ing divided into various
form features a series of
aquatic regions. These
curving segments, or
areas ranged from the
arms, the longest meawarm freshwater resuring approximately
gions of Brazils Am70 m from end to end,
azon basin to the cold
that swirl out from a
expanses of sea around
central core that serves
Denmarks Frerne
as the entrance foyer.
(Faroe Islands), which are
Visitors enter that foylocated north of Scotland beer by following an arcing
tween Norway and Iceland. They
path that slopes downward
also included lakes in Africa, coral
between two of the arms and a pair
reefs, and the vast Atlantic Ocean
of curving pools of water. A portion
(featured in the giant aquarium tank The central foyer, above, allows visitors to proceed of the buildings facade and roof on
mentioned earlier). From that cir- in a variety of directions. One will take them to an one side actually disappears down
enormous tank that features a huge window procular starting point, a photograph
into one of the pools. Clad in shinof a whirlpool brought in by a 3XN viding views into the Atlantic Ocean habitat, below. ing, diamond-shaped aluminum

shingles, the facade is designed to suggest T he B lue P lanet


the scales of a fish, and when the open-air F raming and
pools freeze in winter, a pattern of cracks F oundation
develops in the ice that roughly
S ystems
mirrors the pattern of shingles
on the facade, Nielsen notes.
The reinforced-concrete structures for the pools were designed with outwardly sloping edges so that the water
would be able to expand upward as it froze without damaging the pool structure.
The aluminum shingles also provide an ever-changing aesthetic quality
to the facade, Nielsen notes.
When you have a gray
day it looks gray, and
when you have a blue
day it looks more
blue, he explains.
At sunset it looks
golden, and when you
see the building from the air
it looks whitish gray, while closeup it seems more silver.
Because of the complex curving geometry of
the aquarium, the roofs and walls of the individual
whirlpool arms can seem to converge, notes Wyrtz.
At the entrance, for example, the structure on the
right-hand side of the
curving path begins
as part of the roof (the
part that drops down
right into the pool).
It then curves upward
to form a section of wall and
roof along the path and ultimately sweeps up and over the path like a
canopy. So the whole roof here is
making this curved maneuver, says Wyrtz, who explains how the feature
follows the buildings
aquatic theme: You
walk along the building and get the feeling that it washes over
you like a wave.
Inside the circular
foyer, which is approximately
13 m in diameter and has a floor-toceiling height of 4 m, the ceiling features a light

show that is designed to make visitors feel as if they were


underwater. Initially, the design team had considered putting the visitors literally underwater by locating a large aquarium tank and
a glass ceiling directly above
the foyer, notes Wyrtz.
But that concept was
ultimately deemed too
expensive and would
have been too difficult to
maintain, he says. Therefore, the lighting design
was used instead.
The idea of placing the foyer at the
center of the building, making it accessible directly from the outside,
and providing access from
it to all of the radiating whirlpool arms
also derived from
Nielsens experiences at other aquariums. Too often, he
explains, aquariums are designed
for a linear progression from one exhibit to the next, in just one direction,
which means that long lines can form
in front of certain especially popular
exhibits, for example, those featuring
sharks. But in the Blue Planet visitors
can proceed in a variety of directions. Moreover, given
the generally dark conditions within aquariumsa requirement
so that visitors can see
the fish without the
fish being acutely aware of the visitors,
which can be traumatic for the marine
life, says Wyrtzit is not uncommon
for small children to become separated
from their parents. In the Blue Planet,
however, all of the exhibits lead to
and from that central foyer, which makes it the
perfect meeting place,
Nielsen explains.
A circular beam
formed from several
curved steel segments
roughly 600 mm deep creates the round
shape of the foyer and provides the only
curving steel elements in the Blue Planet,
Wyrtz notes. All of the curves within the
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photocredit goes here

The aquarium was


constructed on reclaimed
land in Kastrup overlooking the
resund, the strait that separates
the Danish island of Sjlland
from Sweden.

Adam Mrk courtesy of 3XN A/S, both

aquariums five swirling arms are actually creA clear tunnel stretches
of the Blue Planet building derives from the
ated by the careful arrangement of straight across the width of the Ocean multiple layers of the facade, which include
steel members that form a total of 54 unique- tank, providing visitors with a not only C-shaped steel elements but also a
ly shaped frames, he explains. Although the more immersive experience. series of waterproofing and insulating membuilt-up sections that form the frames were
branes, aluminum profiles, and fiber cement
designed in part on the basis of standard steel framing ele- plates that are bent to generate the curved shapes, Wyrtz says.
ments, due to the huge variation in our frames, we decided The relatively heavy and dense facade system is necessary so
to weld them all individually, Wyrtz says.
that visitors to the aquarium are spared the noise of jets takAlthough each frame measures approximately 300 mm ing off and landing at nearby Copenhagen Airport, he adds.
wide in cross section, the depths range from 300 to 800 mm
Although the arms of the whirlpool shape are framed in
and the spans have lengths of as much as 30 m, Wyrtz says. steel, the more than 50 aquarium tanks within the Blue PlanThe frames within each whirlpool arm feature the same radi- et were made from either cast-in-place concrete for the larger
al center, which means that, if extended far enough, the radii habitats or fiber-reinforced polymer composites for the smaller
would all pass through the same point, he adds. The longest exhibits, Wyrtz notes. The concrete walls of the larger tanks are
spans are located above the Amazon exhibit space, which fea- between 300 and 550 mm thick, the thickest belonging to the
tures a large skylight to provide natural light for the Ama- Ocean tank. Because the aquarium tanks have large windows
zonian plants that fill the exhibit, along with such regional giving visitors a view of the marine life inside, the walls were
fish as piranha. There are longer frames in other parts of the strengthened around the openings for the windows by concrete
aquarium. The frames above the Ocean tank, for example, beams up to 1.5 m thick having more densely spaced reinforcemeasure approximately 35 m, but they are supported on the ment. At the Ocean tank, tiers of steps that double as seating
roof of the massive reinforced-concrete tank and thus feature face an enormous window roughly 6 m tall and 15 m wide and
shorter individual spans, Wyrtz explains. In some locations, enable visitors to watch the inhabitants of the roughly 4 milthe frames do not even fully cross the Ocean tank; instead, lion L tank, which includes fish as large as hammerhead sharks.
as a result of the changing geometries and varying floor-to- The Ocean tank also features a clear tunnel that stretches across
ceiling heights throughout the space, a few frames are actu- its width. Visitors passing through the tunnel can become
ally cut off and end right on top of the tank. A series of steel more fully immersed in the aquatic experience, albeit staying
braces X shaped in plan is positioned at strategic locations completely dry and safe.
to stabilize the structure against wind and other horizontal
All of the steelwork to support the roof and facade is
forces, Wyrtz says.
protected from corrosion by paint. The most aggressive
In addition to the steel frames, the curving geometry saltwater environments in the aquarium are enclosed in

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features a series of inflatable pillows made from ethylene


tetrafluoroethylene manufactured by London-based Vector
Foiltec, Ltd. Although the Amazon tank features freshwater,
the environment is still corrosive because of the extremely
high humidity, which for the health of the tropical plants is
nearly 100 percent all the time. Condensation thus forms on
all of the structures, says Wyrtz.

Adam Mrk courtesy of 3XN A/S, all

concrete structures, Wyrtz notes; thus, the steel frames are


not exposed to the harshest environments. The use of paint
for corrosion protection is especially critical in the Amazon
tank because the steel framing there is exposed, Wyrtz adds.
The roof had to be both lightweight and open to accommodate the large skylight, which is roughly 20 by 25 m and

Over time, the concrete around the aquarium


tanks will be infiltrated by moisture, and the encased reinforcement may begin to corrode, Wyrtz
acknowledges. To prepare for that eventuality, the
design has included a cathodic protection system
in the concrete framing in the form of small titanium bands cast into the concrete to which an electric voltage can be applied. Sensors were also cast
into the concrete to monitor the condition of the
reinforcement. We can take a measurement and
find out if corrosion has started, Wyrtz explains.

The building is clad in


diamond-shaped aluminum shingles, above
and opposite, designed
to suggest the scales of
a fish. When the pools
freeze, the ice creates a similar pattern.

Then we can determine how bad it is based on


the values we get from the sensors, and if need be
we can apply the current and stop the corrosion.
The voltage will not be applied until corrosion is actually detected, Wyrtz adds, because
of the possibility that it would interfere with
the natural electric impulses that the fish use to
orient themselves in the (Continued on Page 80)

Visitors enter the aquarium via an


arcing path that slopes downward
between two of the whirlpool arms
and a pair of curving pools of water.

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C i v i l E n g i n e e r i n g [59]

Sensational Planet
(Continued from Page 59) water. We have prepared for corrosion, knowing it might impact the fish in the tanks, so we
wont use it until necessary, he stresses.
The Blue Planet building is mostly all on one level, although the floor-to-ceiling heights range from roughly 5 m
to 19 m in the occupied spaces or from 0 m to 19 m if the portion of the roof that dips down into the
exterior pool at the entrance is included, Wyrtz says. The tallest sections are
in the Faroe Islands exhibit, which,
like the Amazon exhibit, features an
opening in its ceiling. But that openair void is covered only by netting to
prevent the birds within the northern Europe habitat from flying away,
Wyrtz explains.
The Blue Planet has a basement
level that covers only a portion of the
aquariums footprint. It provides space
primarily for the technical operations
of the aquarium, the mechanical services, and the facilities for breeding
and feeding the marine life. One below-grade space, however, enables visitors to the Amazon exhibit to view the exhibits underwater portion.
Because the Blue Planet was constructed on that elevated
headland, the basement level is located just slightly below
the local water table. To prevent water infiltration, the underground structure features double-wall construction and
waterproofing membranes. Sheet piles used during the construction phase later became a permanent part of the doublewalled system, Wyrtz says. A plastic pipe 1.7 km in length
extends from the aquarium into the resund and provides
much of the salt water used in the aquarium tanks.
Because of the unconventional, doubly curved forms of
the whirlpool arms, the calculation of snow and wind loads
created a challenge, and the local building codes did not provide much guidance, Wyrtz says. So the design team resolved
these issues via computational fluid dynamics modeling. The
fact that the whirlpool arms are higher than the roof of the
central foyer raised the possibility of water loads accumulating on the roof from a clog or failure of the roofs drainage
system. This issue was resolved by making the frames that
might be affected sufficiently robust to support the additional water loads, Wyrtz says.
The curving forms of the Blue Planets five arms could
have been made in various ways, including shell structures
and three-dimensional trusses, and could have been made of
various materials, including concrete and wood, says Wyrtz.
But MOEs calculations indicated that the simplest and most
cost-effective method would involve a traditional steelframed structure, he adds. So the challenge became how to
use a simple framing method of placing steel frames next to
one another in an unconventional pattern to create the complex curves. Consistent with the projects aquatic theme,
Nielsen compares the Blue Planets framing to building a

boat. But while the framing method itself was straightforward, the design team found it difficult to convince the projects contractors that the structure would not be as complicated to erect as it might first appear. This was especially true
when the design team tried to convert the three-dimensional
models of the building into two-dimensional paper drawings
for the contractors to use on-site. Of course, its a geometrical challenge, Wyrtz concedes. But in terms of calculations
and execution, its actually not as difficult as it seems.
More than half a dozen major contractors were involved in the construction of the Blue Planet, each specializing in a key aspect, including the
steel framing, the concrete framing,
the facade, and the aquarium tanks,
Wyrtz says.
In the end, everything worked
out, all conflicts and construction issues were resolved, and the design
and construction phases of the project
were actually completed slightly under budget, notes Nielsen. Moreover,
with nearly 1.3 million visitors in its
first year, the Blue Planet has proved
so popular and successful that the building fundthe Bygningsfonden Den Bl Planethas already asked 3XN and
MOE to design an expansion. The possibility of expanding
the aquarium was part of the competitions design brief, and
the whirlpool shape was ideally suited for this given that the
end points of several of the arms, which currently feature vertical facades and small canopies, can easily be extended. Although the design of the expansion is just beginning, Nielsen
expects it to involve an extension of the arm containing the
enormous Ocean tank so that a similar exhibit can be constructed there, this one possibly large
enough to contain small whales. ce

The challenge

became how to use


a simple framing
method to create the
complex curves.

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Robert L. Reid is the senior editor of Civil


Engineering.
P r o j e c t C r e d i t s Client: Bygningsfonden Den Bl Planet, Kbenhavn, Denmark Architect: 3XN A/S,
Reid
Kbenhavn, Denmark Consulting engineer: MOE A/S, Sborg, Denmark Client consultant: PLH
Arkitekter A/S, Kbenhavn, Denmark Geotechnical consultant: GEO, Kbenhavn, Denmark Soil and concrete consultant: MT Hjgaard, Sborg, Denmark Installation consultant: Hoffmann A/S, Glostrup, Denmark Steel framing
and facade consultant: Kai Andersen A/S, Holte, Denmark
Outfitting consultant: E. Pihl & Sn A/S, Lyngby, Denmark
Exhibition consultant: Kvorning design & kommunikation, Kbenhavn, Denmark Aquarium technical consultant:
Advanced Aquarium Technologies, Mooloolaba, Australia
Landscape consultant: Henrik Jrgensen Landskab A/S,
Kbenhavn, Denmark Lighting design consultant: Jesper
Kongshaug, Kbenhavn, Denmark

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