Munich SeaLife

Located in the Historic Olympic Park in Munich and built alongside the structures of Frei Otto and Behnisch and Partners, this successful visitor attraction combines modern aesthetics in a sensitive landscape setting.

Client: Merlin Entertainments Holdings Deutschland Gmbh
Cost: Euro 10.5 million
Completion: 2006

Munich Olympic Park at Oberwiesenfeld, Germany, was formerly an airfield but developed to stage the 1972 summer Olympics. The original use of the park has long since gone, but the site remains a dominant cultural and sporting venue which has attracted over 170 million paying visitors since 1972 and also provides the backdrop for architecture provided by some of the worlds greatest designers including Gunther Behnisch and Frei Otto.

Kay Elliott’s partially grass roofed sunken structure, opened one week early, covers 2,200 square metres and houses over 30 aquariums including the 400,000 litre 7m deep sea exhibit. The centre provides an entertaining but educational insight into some of Europe’s endagered aqautic ecosystems.

Kay Elliott are experienced in designing leisure and cultural buildings set within sensitive landscape and water related settings, and responded here to the brief with a stunning contemporary but welcoming design which works in harmony with other structures around the park and lake.

Image credits: Nick Guttridge & Intergeo Bremen

For more information visit http://www.kayelliott.co.uk/projects/2/1