Nausicaá Project | Diogo Cunha

Overview

Three exhibits totalling more than 10,000 m² of water.

Project Brief

Aquarium, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.

The Challenge

A aquarium has to read as natural rock, reef or carved stone up close, and still meet the structure, safety and schedule demands of a live build.

The Solution

Scope on this project: exhibits, rockwork and aquarium. Delivered as Master in Artificial Rock Work with Pangea Rocks.

The Outcome

A finished aquarium at Nausicaá, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.

01

Themed displays for visitors, built around the animals or story inside.

02

Artificial rock surfaces shaped and textured to read as natural stone at close range.

03

Rockwork and theming built to work inside a live aquarium.

12 photos

Typical build sequence for themed rockwork

Design
Forms, levels and colour references agreed from the concept or 3D design before work starts.
Armature
Steel bent and fixed to carry the final shape, with mesh tied over it as the base for the surface.
Shotcrete
Sprayed concrete built up over the mesh in layers to form the rock shell.
Carving
Texture, strata and cracks cut by hand while the surface is still workable.
Paint
Base coats, washes and dry brushing, worked until the surface reads as real.

Methods