Situated on the grounds of NMMST, the 14,154-square-meter facility is budgeted at NT$150 million (US$4.75 million) and set for completion in three years. More than 300 species of live marine creatures will be housed in its state-of-art tanks.
Deputy Minister of Education Lucia Lin said at the event that the aquarium will showcase the marine biodiversity of northern and eastern Taiwan. “This makes the facility an attraction in its own right as it differs considerably from what is on offer at National Museum Biology and Aquarium in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County.”
Echoing Lin’s remarks, Keelung Mayor Lin You-chang said the project is a major undertaking expected to help transform the northern metropolis into a national tourist destination. “It makes perfect sense to capitalize on the 9 million-strong market on our doorstep in Greater Taipei.”
Designed by U.K.-based architecture firm Foster and Partners, the aquarium employs the latest materials like titanium and green designs to create a modern, light-filled environment reminiscent of the ocean shallows. It also incorporates a building height restriction so as to blend seamlessly with the local community in Badouzi Harbor.
Constructed on the site of a former power station, 12-month-old NMMST comprises a museum complex, panoramic hillside lookouts and a number of parks and trails. The museum won an Urban Design Honor Award from New York-based American Institute of Architects in 2013. (WY-JSM)
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