Australian Architectural Triumph at Aquarium at the Dubai Mall

MELBOURNE, Australia -

- Aquarium viewing area to enter Guinness books of records

Australian architects are behind the creation of the world’s largest acrylic viewing panel at the Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre.

The aquarium is located within a massive shopping complex and it attracted 27,000 visitors on its opening day.

Designed by architects at Peddle Thorp Melbourne, the panel measures 32.88 metres wide x 8.3 metres high x 750 mm thick and weighs a staggering 245,614 kg.

The acrylic viewing panel at Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre surpasses the current Guinness World Record holder, Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan, at 22.5 metres wide x 8.2 metres high and 600 mm thick.

The new record is expected to be featured in the upcoming edition of the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010.

At 750 mm thick, the acrylic viewing panel is built to withstand the enormous pressure of 10 million litres of water 10.5 metres deep used in the aquarium, but transparent enough to give visitors a clear view of the more than 33,000 marine animals on display.

The viewing panel at the Aquarium and Discovery centre were commissioned under the supervision of Oceanis Australia Group, the aquarium operator.

Peddle Thorp is highly experienced in this field having already designed the Melbourne Aquarium for Oceanis and many others across the world.

Design director Peter Brook said the practice had been building aquariums around the world and he congratulated the work of Tom Prillinger.

Located strategically in the centre of a gigantic shopping mall, the 50 metre long aquarium main tank offers views into the incredible diversity of marine life from all levels of the mall.

For media enquiries and high resolution photos contact Kevin Brianton at Globe Communications on +61-407-830-163.

Source: Peddle Thorp Melbourne

Kevin Brianton, Globe Communications, +61-407-830-163, for Peddle Thorp Melbourne