Auerbach Glasow French Wins IES Award

	Photo courtesy of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Auerbach Glasow French has been acknowledged by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) with an Edwin F. Guth Award in Interior Lighting Design for their work on the modernization of Monterey Bay Aquarium's Open Sea exhibit. The Award of Excellence from the IES in this category is given annually and is one of the highest honors in the profession of architectural lighting design.

At the Open Sea exhibit visitors look through one of the largest aquarium windows on Earth -- 54' long, 15' tall, and 13" thick, weighing 78,000 lb. At 90' long and 35' high, it is one of the tallest aquarium exhibits in the world. The Open Sea tank holds a million gallons of seawater, more than all of the other exhibits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium combined. Visitors experience a panoramic fisheye view into the deep ocean that could only be surpassed by diving in the open sea.

The project's key design modification was the installation of high color rendering metal halide lamps that significantly improve the appearance of the sea life. In addition, dramatic narrow beam "sunlight shafts" were increased and a surge pump was added to move the water surface and create the ripple of beams of light traveling through the water. The lighting shifts in color from clear nearest the window to deeper shades of blue moving toward the rear of the tank with the last third of the tank remaining unlit. The tank is curved in all directions and the walls are matte black. Custom high-output luminaires were designed to create the illusion of great depth and make the walls "disappear." Animals swimming away from the window get progressively darker until they swim into the "void." The beauty of the sea life is revealed while moving in and out of the light. The effect is captivating.