National Aquarium

The National Aquarium in Baltimore (NAIB) is one of Maryland’s leading attractions, hosting more than 1.6 million visitors per year.  NAIB has helped teach visitors of all ages about aquatic life since it opened its first building on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in 1981.  The Aquarium recently undertook a $112 million seven-year expansion and renovation program that included the construction of a Chesapeake Bay waterfront park, the worlds largest recreated Australian exhibit, and enhanced visitor amenities.

The aquarium retained Heery International to manage several high profile capital improvement projects including a $1 million renovation of the 700,000-gallon dolphin exhibit pool and dolphin show pavilion.  All work was performed with the dolphin population still "in the building" requiring extensive coordination with NAIB marine mammal staff and special efforts to minimize noise and other disruptions.  Heery also provided project management services for a $2 million upgrade of the dolphin exhibit life support system.  The upgrade included the installation of state-of-the-art treatment technology and increased the system’s treatment capacity to almost 15 million gallons of water per day.

In addition, Heery provided master planning and pre-construction services for a $50 million Center for Aquatic Life and Conservation Center to be built on a waterfront site in Baltimore .  Heery also developed cost models and implementation schedules for NAIB’s pier 4 long range master plan.  Heery even assisted in implementing a real-time project accounting for the $60 million new exhibit and building expansion project.