The National Aquarium in Baltimore has just announced an ambitious, wide-ranging plan for a new “urban waterfront.”
©2016 National Aquarium, Ayers Saint Gross ArchitectsThe Aquarium will put floating wetlands in between Piers 3 and 4 at the Inner Harbor, to serve as living habitat. There will also be a new green space for visitors, and native Chesapeake Bay plantings outside the Aquarium entrance.
The goal is to “connect people with water in new and innovative ways,” according to Aquarium leaders, and bring greater awareness to humans’ impact on the harbor and the Chesapeake Bay.
The Aquarium wants these working ecosystems to teach Baltimore residents and visitors about habitat restoration, native species, and the importance of improving water quality in urban waterways.
The project is expected to be finished in 2021, once Aquarium planners test out floating wetland prototypes. General Curator Jack Cover is leading the work to recreate micro-habitats and improve the health of the harbor, and he says they have seen a number of bay critters utilizing it already.
For more information on the National Aquarium’s floating wetlands, click here.
