Take a journey of discovery through the world's largest ocean at the Aquarium of the Pacific located on a 5-acre site on Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California. There are Major expansion underway with the addition of a new wing that will include an immersive theater, special exhibition, art gallery spaces and animal exhibits.
The Aquarium of the Pacific is also home to the Watershed Exhibit & Classroom, a 3,100 square feet LEED Platinum Certified building that ranks in the top 2 of projects in this rating system version.
Watersheds: Pathway to the Pacific tells the story of the changing relationships of people within the San Pedro Bay drainage basin and their environment. Visitors can interact with a three-dimensional watershed model. Guests can “make it rain” on the watershed to learn about what happens to the water once it lands on our mountains and streets. Exhibit stations feature photos, hands-on interactive components, and information about where our water comes from, what people can do at home to conserve the most water, and what our options are to sustain the supply of water needed for Southern California.
The Our Watersheds exhibit is surrounded by native plants found along the coastal areas of the San Pedro Bay watersheds. The classroom features a living roof with coastal shrubs and grasses. This building is LEED Platinum certified Building —the highest nationally accepted benchmark for green design, construction, and operations. In addition to being a fully functioning carbon-neutral classroom, this building serves as an example of alternative energy use, sustainable design, and water conservation and reuse. The classroom will be used as a venue for teaching school and community groups about watersheds.
Green by the numbers:
50% green power purchase
5% onsite renewable energy
50% diversion of construction and demolition debris
5% recycled content building materials
20% regionally extracted, harvested, recovered, or manufactured materials
50% FSC-certified wood products
75% occupant daylighting
90% occupant views
50% reduction in potable landscape water use
20% reduction in indoor potable water use
http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/exhibits/our_watersheds
100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802