沉浸式水族馆设计探秘

奥斯卡·霍兰德

At the Tennessee Aquarium， visitors pass through a series of changing ecosystems inhabited by river otters， salamanders and brightly colored sunfish. The experience has been specifically designed to replicate the route taken by the neighboring Tennessee River， which flows from the Appalachian Mountains down to the Gulf of Mexico.

The attraction， located in Chattanooga， was once the world’s largest freshwater aquarium， though it now pales in comparison to the gargantuan oceanariums of China and the Middle East.

But the secret to good aquarium design is not all about size—it’s about telling a story， according to one of the architects behind the project.

“The Tennessee Aquarium is really the story of the Tennessee River，” said Peter Sollogub， associate principal at the architecture firm CambridgeSeven， in a phone interview.

“We look for stories that can take a collection of animals and orchestrate them into a larger experience. It’s like a film， a piece of music or a book—you progress through it and， when you leave， you feel as if you’ve gone on a comprehensible journey.”

Curating experiences

Having started out working on the New England Aquarium—a building now considered emblematic of Boston’s concrete architectural legacy—in the 1960s， Sollogub is a veteran in the aquarium world. He has since helped create public facilities across the US， as well as in Italy， Portugal and Japan.

The first priority is always， he said， the fish themselves. But when it comes to visitors’ experiences， the design process revolves around how—and where—people encounter them. Most aquariums are built in a “linear” way， meaning that visitors rarely deviate from a set path. So architects and designers instead see their role as curating a series of moments.

“Take the splendor of jellyfish or the wonder of penguins—things that are spectacular unto themselves，” Sollogub said. “What we try to do is enhance them by developing encounters in which you pass through them， or see them swimming over and under you， or at different levels.”

For architect James Hampton， whose firm James Hampton Design Partners specializes in public and private aquariums， a crucial element of design is what he calls the “wow factor.” This seems like an apt way to describe the walk-through tunnel at Dubai Mall’s 2.6-million-gallon aquarium—a project Hampton was involved in—a 157-foot-long passage with 270-degree views of fish in the surrounding water.

“I tend to start with a ‘wow，’” he said in a phone interview. “It’s the midpoint that normally has the biggest quantity of water， usually a predator tank. Then at the end you might have a meet-and-greet opportunity—with an otter， for instance.”

While Western countries have traditionally housed the largest and most elaborate aquariums， China and the Middle East are a growing force in the market， said Hampton， who has worked in both regions.

In 2014， Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China’s Guangdong province became the world’s largest aquarium， its 12.87 million gallons equivalent to almost 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Meanwhile， the Grandview Mall Aquarium， also in Guangzhou， holds the current record for the world’s largest aquarium window， with its 134 feet by 27 feet acrylic panel.

But a “bigger is better” mentality， as Hampton puts it， is not necessarily conducive to good design.

“A large exhibit won’t necessarily have （a high density of） fish in it， because the tank is so big，” he said. “When a client says to me ‘I want it bigger than x or y’s tank，’ I tend to tell them that—rather than saying it has to be a certain size—they need to ask what they want to exhibit.

“You don’t need a tank that is too big， because （fish-like） sharks and gropers won’t necessarily be （visible） swimming in an exhibit that size.”

Total immersion

Creating naturalistic environments， whether through rocks or artificial coral， is central to the art of aquarium design. Keeping out sunlight is also a priority， as it can produce algae and unwanted reflections. These considerations not only provide marine life with more realistic habitats， but they encourage people to enter an all-important state of suspended disbelief.

But， in recent decades， it has been the advanced engineering capabilities of clear acrylic—a material strong enough to withstand the water pressure produced by millions of gallons of water—that has set designers on a quest for total immersion.

Since the first so-called “shark tunnel” was built in Auckland， New Zealand， in 1985， walk-throughs and large viewing screens have become an industry standard.

“With the ‘old-style’ aquariums， visitors would pay their 10 dollars， have an hour or so looking through these ‘picture frames’ at the exhibits， and then they’d walk out，” Hampton said. “Generally， they’ve had a good experience， but now it’s much more immersive.

“When you walk into a cinema， you want to be wowed by the big screen and intense color right there in your face—and that’s what we try and do， with as much acrylic as possible， so you really feel the environment that you’re in.”

Education through design

With physical immersion reaching its limits， virtual reality and augmented reality are playing a growing role in modern aquariums. As well as offering visitors information about different species as they travel through the exhibits， technology opens the possibility of digitally displaying animals that are difficult or unethical to keep in captivity.

“We’re using VR as well as augmentation on walls and projecting over panels，” Hampton said. “We can add 4K high-definition screens behind acrylic panels， so that when you first walk into a shark exhibit， it feels like there’s water in front of you （on the dry side）.

“When you look in the background， you see virtual sharks swimming. Push a button and it tells you how big， how much they eat， where they swim—it gives you detail about sharks that we can’t keep in captivity.”

Both Hampton and Sollogub see these tools as a means to an end. The ultimate goal is to create an emotional connection between humankind and nature. This in turn， Sollogub said， informs the educative approach that underpins aquarium design.

“The greatest part of working on aquariums is bringing guests to places they have never encountered before，” he said， recalling the satisfaction of seeing inner-city school children enraptured by a Baltimore aquarium he helped design. “They were as wide-eyed as you can imagine， and that’s really what it’s all about.

“I think aquariums are education at it’s purest. You’re not telling people what to think， you’re allowing them to feel it and experience it—to become part of it.”

田纳西水族馆内，游客们穿梭在各个变幻莫测的生态系统间，水獭、蝾螈和艳丽的太阳鱼栖息其中。這是经过特殊设计的，仿照了旁边田纳西河从阿巴拉契亚山奔流而下、最终汇入墨西哥湾的流经路线。

该景点地处查塔努加，曾是全球最大的淡水水族馆，尽管现在和中国、中东的巨型海洋馆相比是小巫见大巫。

不过，按该馆一位设计师的说法，设计好水族馆，秘诀并不全在规模，而在讲好一个故事。

“田纳西水族馆其实就是田纳西河的故事。”剑桥七杰建筑公司副主管彼得·索洛古布接受电话采访时这样说。

“我们搜罗那些汇集各种动物的故事，把它们精心编排，打造出更丰富的游客体验。就像一部电影、一首音乐，抑或一本书，让人神随景移，离开时，也会感到仿佛经历了一段明明白白的旅程。”

规划游客体验

上世纪60年代，索洛古布就开始设计新英格兰水族馆，是水族馆界的行家里手，如今该馆也被视为波士顿标志性的现存混凝土建筑。在那之后，他又设计了美国、意大利、葡萄牙、日本等国的多处公共设施。

他说，水族馆设计首先要考虑的总是鱼本身。至于游客体验，设计时则要考虑游客与鱼相遇的方式和位置。多数水族馆都依照“线性”方式建造，也就是说，游客一般不会偏离既定的游览路线。因此，建筑师和设计师们将自己视为一系列邂逅瞬间的规划者。

“就拿华丽的水母，或奇妙的企鹅来说吧，它们本身就很有看头。”索洛古布说道，“而我们所做的，就是创造邂逅的机会，从而增强游客体验。游客们或与其擦身而过，或看着它们从自己头顶或脚下游过，无论深水或浅水都能遇到。”

建筑师詹姆斯·汉普顿的公司詹姆斯·汉普顿设计伙伴专攻公共和私人水族馆设计，他提到，设计中有一关键要素，叫作“让人叫好的因素”。这恰好可以用来说明一个他曾参与的项目——迪拜购物中心内的水族馆观光廊，该水族馆容积达260万加仑，观光廊长157英尺，游客可270度观察四周水域里的鱼类。

电话采访中，他讲道：“我一般会一开始就来个‘让人叫好’的设计，到了中间部分，水量往往最多，是捕食者的地盘，最后，游客也许有机会和水獭或其他动物来个亲密互动。”

汉普顿在中国和中东都工作过，他表示，尽管西方国家历来拥有世界上最大且最为精妙的水族馆，但中国和中东的市场竞争力已愈发强劲。

2014年，中国广东长隆海洋王国成为世界上最大的水族馆，容积达1287万加仑，相当于近20个奥运规格的泳池。无独有偶，同样位于广州的正佳极地海洋世界也保持着世界最大水族展示窗的纪录，该展示窗长134英尺，宽27英尺，由丙烯酸板制成。

但汉普顿指出，“越大越好”的想法未必有益于设计好作品。

“大型展馆里不一定有（密集分布的）鱼，因为展缸太大了。”他说道，“要是客户跟我说，‘我要比某某水族馆的展缸还大’，我一般会告诉他们，与其对具体尺寸提要求，不如问问自己，到底想展出什么。

“展缸用不着太大，因为不一定（能显出）有（普通鱼那般大小的）鲨鱼和石斑鱼在过大的展缸里游动。”

全沉浸感设计

无论用自然岩石还是人工珊瑚，营造仿自然的环境都是水族馆设计艺术的核心所在。隔绝阳光也是重点，因为阳光会招致藻类滋生和多余的反射。这些考量不仅为海洋生物提供了更真实自然的生存环境，还有助于参观者游览时进入“宁信其真”的最佳状态。

但近几十年来，透明丙烯酸（一种十分坚固的材料，可承受数百万加仑水产生的水压）工程能力愈发先进，设计者便开始追求全浸入的设计。

自1985年新西兰奥克兰建成首个所谓“鲨鱼隧道”以来，观光廊和大型观景屏就成了业界标配。

“就‘老式’水族馆来说，游客花10美元，透过这些‘画框’看看展品，然后就走了，前后不过1小时。”汉普顿说道，“总的来说，这种体验也不错，但现今的体验则更身临其境。

“人们踏进电影院，总希望受到眼前的巨大屏幕和强烈色彩的震撼，而这就是我们试着做的，用尽可能多的丙烯酸材料，为游客营造身临其境之感。”

教育贯穿设计

物理浸入程度达到极限后，虚拟现实和增强现实技术对现代水族馆的作用就愈发重要。这种技术可以为参观展馆的游客提供不同生物品种的信息;另外，由于种种困难或道德规范的束缚，一些动物无法人工饲养，科學技术也使数字化动物展出成为可能。

汉普顿说：“如今，我们将虚拟现实和增强现实技术应用到墙上，在丙烯酸板上进行投影，还在其后加了4K分辨率的高清屏幕。这样的话，人们一走进鲨鱼馆，就能感到有水袭面而来（但实际上是没有水的）。

“人们看屏幕呈现的画面时，会发现虚拟鲨鱼游来游去。按个按钮，就能知道鲨鱼的大小、食量和活动范围，这样即便水族馆内无法饲养，人们也能知道那些鲨鱼的具体信息。”

在汉普顿和索洛古布看来，这些技术是为达成目标而采取的手段，而终极目标是创建人与自然间的情感纽带。且正如索洛古布所说，这又反过来影响水族馆设计所基于的教育理念。

索洛古布曾参与设计巴尔的摩的一家水族馆，并亲眼见到市中心学校的孩子们参观时看得入迷，回想起当时那种心满意足，他说道：“设计水族馆最妙的，就是带着参观者去他们从没去过的地方。”他进一步描述，“孩子们眼睛瞪得滚圆，生怕错过一丝精彩，这才是最重要的。

“我觉得水族馆本质上讲就是一种教育方式，它不是告诉人们该如何思考，而是让他们去感受，去体验，与之融为一体。”