Newport Aquarium Jellyfish Exhibit

Client: Newport Aquarium

Location: Newport, Kentucky

Classification: Permanent Aquarium Exhibit Expansion
Exhibit Size: 1,700sf (3,500sf total renovation footprint)
Total Volume: More than 1,500 gallons of saltwater
Habitats: 7 distinct aquatic environments
Capacity: Home to nearly 100 jellyfish across 6 separate species

Peeking Behind the Glass: Through four specialized moon jelly tanks, the exhibit allows guests to peer directly into the working "Jelly Lab," giving visitors a rare front-row look at the propagation and conservation work being done by the aquarium’s marine biologists.

Representing the facility’s first physical expansion in 15 years, the Jellies: Go with the Flow exhibit brings a vibrant, immersive new space to the Newport Aquarium. In partnership with RSL, our team provided complete MEP engineering design to transform approximately 3,500sf of back-of-house storage into a modern guest experience. Our team modified and expanded the existing building infrastructure to support seven distinct saltwater habitats, high-impact thematic lighting, and the complex life-support systems required for the interactive behind-the-scenes “Jelly Lab.”

“All the exhibits that you see the jellyfish in are carefully designed to mimic everything they would get in the ocean. All of the tanks have very precise amounts of water flow, and all the water in these exhibits are very carefully monitored with our quality monitors.”

– Chris Plant, Director of Animal Care

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