Floating Wetland Prototype — National Aquarium
A 200 sq ft floating wetland research prototype in Baltimore's Inner Harbor at the National Aquarium, assembled and towed into position in August 2017; designed by a multidisciplinary Ayers Saint Gross-led team, winner of a 2018 ASLA Honor Award for Research, and the direct predecessor to the Aquarium's full-scale 2024 Harbor Wetland.
| Venue | National Aquarium |
|---|---|
| Project type | Installation |
| Status | Completed |
| Year completed | 2017 |
| Technologies | floating pontoon habitat systems |
Credits
| Firm | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ayers Saint Gross | Landscape Architecture | Landscape architecture / environmental design lead; supplemented by engineering and science consultants Biohabitats, McLaren Engineering Group, and Kovacs, Whitney & Associates |
Description
Shop-fabricated in pieces and assembled at a Middle Branch River shipyard before being towed to the Inner Harbor, the prototype tested a high-performing floating wetland system to support Chesapeake Bay revitalization; it quickly attracted biofilm and species diversity, proving the concept that became Harbor Wetland.