Spring Festival looms as base is laid for museum tank

The arduous task of having a tight schedule, deploying 30 concrete mixer trucks, and ensuring quality and safety was completed on Feb 8 for the foundation of the Chimelong Marine Science Museum as 200 tired workers cheered.

Crews worked 72 hours around the clock to finish the job before Spring Festival. "We made arrangements a month in advance concerning construction technology, quality control, safety measures, labor organization, materials and machinery supply, traffic diversion, and other aspects," said an engineer.

The fish-shaped aquarium will cover 2,606 sq m (3,117 sq yd). Its concrete foundation is 1,000 mm (3.3 ft) thick. To be constructed upon it is a 130,000-sq-m (155,500 sq-yd) indoor marine science and entertainment park with floorage of 360,000 sq m (431,000 sq yd).

Proposed Chimelong Marine Science Museum [Photo courtesy Zhuhai daily]

Designed with arched structure, the museum will have 32 columns and a 148-m (162-yd) span triangular arch truss to support a huge dome, along with a circular truss with a diameter of 90 m (98.5 yd). Seamless connection technology will be utilized to install the world's largest acrylic glass panel at 46.2 by 8.2 m (50.5 by 9 yd).

Finishing touches on baseplate

When it opens, the structure is to house killer whales and host up to 5,000 spectators. There will be 66 ocean engineering basins and large amusement equipment of various forms and sizes within the museum.

It is positioned east-west 100 m (109 yd) and north-south 30 m (33 yd) just south of Ocean Kingdom in Hengqin New Area. The museum is a key provincial project and is being built at a cost of 3.2 billion yuan ($556 million) at Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort.

Concrete poured from mixer truck [Photos by Yan Xing / Zhuhai Daily]