The Board of Directors of the Port of Barcelona has approved the project to remodel and expand the Aquarium presented by the company ASPRO OCIO, the company that owns the attraction, to expand and renovate it. The works represent an investment of 13 million and an extension of the space concession for 12 more years, until 2039, to the same company.
The renovation is based especially on promoting environmental sustainability and a greater use of digital tools and immersive experiences, but it also wants to integrate the building more with the landscape of the port. The transformation works of the Aquarium will be very fast, since the objective is to have them completed before the start of the 37th edition of the America's Cup of sailing, which will be held in the Catalan capital from August 2024.
To meet these objectives, different actions are planned. In terms of sustainability, for example, a photovoltaic panel will be incorporated that generates 12% of the energy consumed by the Aquarium and the replacement of 3,200 light points to make it the first space of its kind that is fully illuminated with LED lights. These measures will contribute at the same time to the objective of turning the Aquàrium into a center of reference at a local and international level in terms of research, conservation and dissemination of the underwater ecosystem, and especially of Mediterranean species.
The immersive and digitization experiences, for their part, will focus on promoting among visitors the need to care for ecosystems in the face of the climate emergency, while at the same time making them more rewarding and visually pleasing for people who visit the aquarium.
