The three main buildings of the Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport, Miss., feature a distinctive, scaled pattern using 16,000 zinc tiles fabricated from Woburn, Mass.-based RHEINZINK America Inc.’s prePATINA blue-grey material. The complex curved, geometric shapes of the three buildings are clad with RHEINZINK prePATINA blue-gray panels, presenting a welcoming and distinctive look with a dynamic, evolving appearance that develops a natural patina over time.
Prepatinaed zinc panels create a welcoming, distinctive look
Photo: Mississippi Aquarium, courtesy of RHEINZINK America Inc.
The aquarium opened to the public on Aug. 29, 2020. Developed by the Gulfport Redevelopment Commission and designed by Eley Guild Hardy Architects (EGH), Biloxi, Miss., the project anchors a comprehensive plan to revitalize the downtown area, making it a premier, family-friendly tourist destination. Set on 5.8 acres, the aquarium’s mission revolves around education, conservation and community. Its exhibits and buildings are connected by landscaped walkways with plants that represent the state’s seven physiographic regions. Together, the indoor and outdoor campus tells the story of Mississippi’s aquatic resources from the Delta to the Coastline, while tying the natural resources together. The three main buildings house the Aquatic Wonders exhibits, Changing Tides special events building, and the ticketing services and gift shop.
Roofing Solutions, Prairieville, La., fabricated and installed the zinc flat-lock wall tiles on all three buildings using more than 81,400 pounds of RHEINZINK prePATINA blue-grey as supplied by Oakland Metal Sales. David Furr, Roofing Solutions’ general manager for Mississippi, says thousands and thousands of panels were fabricated at its Prairieville factory and then shipped to the job site in phases. “The material was placed in covered storage on-site so that our people in the field had the supply they needed to install 50 to 60 tiles each day.”
Photo: Mississippi Aquarium, courtesy of RHEINZINK America Inc.
The diamond flat-lock wall tiles were installed in a scaled, offset, overlapping pattern. The rounded, guitar pick form of the buildings are composed of three curved walls that splay outward as they rise. “It gets bigger as you go up, and some of these walls are over 60 feet high,” says Thomas A. Allen, AIA, CDT, LEED AP BD +C, architect at EGH. “We didn’t want them to feel too big and overwhelm visitors. When you’re standing inside the park, everything should feel approachable.”
“Because every building is a different size and slightly different shape, it took some strategic geometric planning to layout and scale the RHEINZINK panels appropriately,” Allen adds. “Each building’s panels are custom-sized to make all of them look uniform in their overall massing. It’s a forced perspective. Hopefully, you won’t be able to notice the difference.”
Photo: Mississippi Aquarium, courtesy of RHEINZINK America Inc.
The 22,000-square-foot Aquatic Wonders building is four stories and has 24-inch by 24-inch zinc tiles. The 13,600-square-foot Changing Tides events building has 20-inch by 20-inch tiles on its façade, parapet and canopy, and the 5,400-square-foot ticketing services and gift shop building has 16-inch by 16-inch tiles. Wherever necessary, Roofing Solutions also fabricated custom trim, flashings and other detailing from the RHEINZKIN prePATINA material.
To meet the project’s multiple performance requirements, EGH specified 1-mm-thick RHEINZINK prePATINA blue-grey flat-lock panels. Tests were conducted to ensure the zinc tiles could withstand hurricane-force winds up to 175 mph.
Kurt Allen, president and CEO of Mississippi Aquarium, says, “From an architectural perspective, we wanted to be unique. Our buildings are guitar pick-shaped with odd angles, and they add a distinctive look and color to the skyline. The contrast of the buildings and the white sails gives a spectacular view.”