Clancy & Theys Construction Company provided construction services for the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. The project consisted of 62,121 sq ft including a single-story, multi-level addition, and renovations to the existing facility. The addition is a combination of cast-in-place concrete, load bearing masonry, precast and glue-laminated wood timbers with a wood siding exterior. The facility features a 320,000 gallon saltwater tank, a 30’ tall waterfall, and a large otter habitat.
This building included all aspects necessary to provide an advanced marine life support environment which included complicated state of the art construction techniques. The space is dedicated to housing viable aquatic exhibits and water elements while dealing with a corrosive environment. The NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores was completely surrounded by either a salt-water creek or other wetlands. Knowing that there would be no “second chances” if these pristine areas were compromised, Clancy & Theys provided continuous monitoring of erosion control devices and runoff was performed to ensure that the project stayed in full compliance.
The NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores has a laboratory within the project that is used for the following activities:
Water Quality Analysis – Samples are taken from the aquariums and chemical reagents are added. Subsequently, these samples are either placed in a spectrophotometer or compared to a visual color standard to ensure water quality.
Microscopy Analysis – Tissue samples are taken from animals and prepared and placed under a microscope for examination of bacteria, spores and parasites.
Pharmaceutical Prep – Medications are measured for treatment of disease and chemical reagents are measured for treatment of water systems.
The Life Support System (LSS) is a component within this project that is unique. These components; such as exhibit platforms and tanks, water supply, drains, skimmers, high rate sand filters, fluidized sand filters, ozone injectors, ultraviolet sterilizers, LSS controls and all other associated items must be specifically detailed within all other coordination drawings to ensure that proper installation is achieved.
