John G. Shedd Aquarium

Completed in 2009, the renovation of the Oceanarium included consolidation of staff offices, new and renovated exhibits, animal holding areas and life support systems, a renovated food court and restaurant, a new outdoor terrace and updated guest services amenities. Existing HVAC equipment was replaced and upgraded incorporating VFD’s for variable air volume control. Demand control ventilation and a new system to control humidity in the sub-basement mechanical space were also added. To consolidate Shedd staff, a 24,000 SF addition was constructed on the Oceanarium roof. The office addition is LEED Certified and included air to air heat recovery, daylight harvesting and a rainwater collection system.

MSA worked with Shedd staff to design the Sea Lion Exhibit life support system. The system included FRP sand filters, pumps and plate-frame heat exchangers. The pumps are controlled by variable frequency drives to maintain the required flow as the filter pressure drop increases (below).