Envirotecture has offered long-standing sponsorship to Sea Shelter, a NSW marine animal rescue and rehabilitation charity. Our Sydney team also served as lead designers of the new Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters facility which shares the same site at Anna Bay.
This award winning eco-tourist facility wants visitors to meet and interact with sharks and rays in order to understand the importance of apex predators in healthy marine ecosystems. It’s a passion project that began at a smaller facility nearby. The new space was developed in four stages as funds were raised. Stage one opened during the Covid lockdowns in 2021 (imagine, sharks in tanks on trucks and turtles on laps in the front seat with the added intricacies of social distancing…)
The tropical shark lagoon opened as an open pool early in 2022 and its enclosure was completed later that same year. The roof is supported by a large timber portal clear span frame made with Glulam (laminated timber) columns and fixed with stainless steel brackets and bolts to withstand the salty marine environment carefully recreated here. The roof is made up of six large panels which can be opened, providing ventilation, natural sunlight and free heating in summer. Natural unfiltered sunlight is a necessity for the live coral growing in the lagoon. The roof is closed at night to retain warmth.
Envirotecture worked with Hyne Timber, X-Lam and our consulting engineers to integrate the structural design with cost-effective architectural detailing. We worked with Ronstan (the sailboat hardware manufacturers) on the sliding roof mechanism, working from principles we’d already proven on a residential scale. The Irukandji roof panels are manually operated. This saves money, reduces complexity and makes for less long-term maintenance in this demanding marine atmosphere.
The final stages were a new reception area (which freed up more space for the rehabilitation service) and a second, even larger, enclosed lagoon. Operations are powered by a considerable rooftop PV array. Fresh sea water is imported every day from the pristine waters of Port Stephens and recycled as much as possible.
Discover more:
TV’s Dr Harry visits Irukandji and Sea Shelter
NBN News described a major construction milestone for Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters.
Awards
Awards
Awards
