Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey, CA

Introduction

Kite aerial photograph of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Courtesy Cris Benton.

Built in 1984 with a $40 million grant from David Packard of Hewlett/Packard fame, the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) remains one of the most state-of-the-art aquatic museums in the world. Combining non-traditional aquarium architecture with high exhibit technology, Packard and his Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation created an enriching educational experience through the replication of natural conditions and focussing their exhibits on regional habitats. Designed by San Francisco architecture firm Esherick, Homsey, Dodge and Davis, the aquarium incorporates many new and experimental construction technologies, including specially designed display tanks like the three-story Kelp Forest exhibit. With such a specific scope of exhibits, the many variations in Monterey Bay habitats demand a variation in exhibit design to preserve the look and feel of a natural sea environment for both the public and inhabitants. Among the variations in habitat design is the quality of light, including internal light levels and environmental light fluctuations. Some exhibits may require abyssally dark environments to properly showcase and care for deep-sea animals, while other exhibits of sea surface or coastal animals must be well-lit or open to the natural sky.

The extreme darkness of the aquarium's public corridors raises questions about how visual comfort and public safety are affected in such areas. This darkness combined with the many large outside windows and acrylic exhibit panels present a special problem for visual continuity. Herein lie the questions which this study will attempt to answer.

Question

How does a building create spaces with low ambient illumination while maintaining easily viewed displays and visual comfort?

Hypothesis

The Monterey Bay Aquarium successfully establishes the low interior light levels necessary for the aquarium displays. These low levels are both adequate and comfortable for visitor wayfinding through the museum. This is acheived in part through great care by the designers to manage the brightness of surfaces in the darker portion of the aquarium and to provide smooth, gradual transitions from bright areas to dark areas.

Case Study Components

This case study has been organized in such a way that the reader can "page" through the case study by clicking on the NEXT button at the bottom of each page or select from the components listed below.

A brief description of the methods, procedure and tools used for assessing visual comfort and light qualities within the Monterey Bay Aquarium

This link provides an isolux mapping of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This type of mapping provides an general overview of light levels at a specific point in time.

A floor plan of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and a list of several paths through the space. From here you can select a specific path to view its illuminance levels.

A brief discussion of the case study findings and conclusions concerning luminance, illuminance and visual comfort.

A list of sources for further information on the topics of light, visual comfort or the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Comments to author: vitalsigns@
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All contents copyright (C) 1998. Vital Signs Project. All rights reserved.

Created: 07/01/96
Revised: 09/09/02

http://www-archfp.ced.berkeley.edu/vitalsigns/workup/mba/intro.html