Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

PHASES I, II & Cooling Tower Replacement

The Aquarium of the Americas is a two story, 110,000 square foot facility designed to accommodate 900,000 visitors per year.  It opened in the fall of 1990, and at the time, was the nations’ newest and finest aquarium, with over 7,500 specimens of marine life.  Moses Engineers provided all electrical engineering for the first phase of the facility.  The electrical work was deemed most important due to the need for uninterrupted service for both public safety and life support for the exhibits.

The Aquarium of the Americas needs electrical service continuity for the marine life support systems. It uses heating from electric boilers necessitating a large emergency generator system.  Moses Engineers provided all special electrical systems including central lighting dimmer controls, fire alarm, telephone system, public address, security systems, and POS cash management and antenna systems. The plastic conduit provided assures longevity in a harsh marine environment. The Aquarium received the LAA Honor Award of Excellence.

Several years after the initial building opened, Moses Engineers provided all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) services for the Aquarium of the Americas’ Phase 2 addition consisting of a 350 seat IMAX theater, a 125 seat auditorium and a new changing exhibits gallery, adding 60,000 sq. ft. of space to the existing.

Moses Engineers also provided MEP design services for the new Sea Otter Exhibit as well as recent miscellaneous upgrades and renovations to this facility and the adjacent Woldenberg Park.

In 2015, Moses Engineers replaced the Aquarium two condenser water pumps and replaced their 25-year-old cooling towers with two-cell rooftop induced-draft, crossflow cooling towers with variable speed drives . These towers provide condenser water for the chillers that must operate 24/7 for the safety of the Aquarium’s aquatic life. .