National Aquarium to begin $8M glass replacement project

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The National Aquarium announced Tuesday it will begin an $8 million project to replace the glass in the Upland Tropical Rain Forest beginning March 3 and is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2022.

The $8 million project includes a $7 million investment from the state of Maryland, as well as grants from the city of Baltimore, Baltimore County and the Abell Foundation.

Because of the natural aging process of glass, the National Aquarium has taken the proactive step to replace all 684 panes of glass of its iconic, pyramid-topped Upland Tropical Rain Forest. The new glass will be energy efficient, have updated safety features and be esthetically pleasing. In accordance with the aquarium’s mission of conservation, the old glass will be upcycled and repurposed into materials used for major roadways and fiberglass insulation.

The new-and-improved glass will help control temperatures inside the exhibit from getting too warm, creating a pleasant experience for animals and guests. Additionally, the new glass will have permanent acid-etching to protect migrating birds from striking the glass. The new tempered glass will eliminate “hot-spots” on the plants below and create an ambient nighttime glow from the outside.

New to the design is the addition of LED lights along the borders of the pyramid, which will shine blue for the National Aquarium, as well as having the ability to light up purple for the Baltimore Ravens and orange for the Baltimore Orioles. The lights will not have a negative effect on the animals inside.

During this transition, animals from the Upland Tropical Rain Forest will be taken care of in the back-of-house of the Australia: Wild Extremes exhibit and at the Aquarium’s Animal Care and Rescue Center on Fayette Street.

The Upland Tropical Rain Forest will be closed to guests during construction with a planned reopening in the fall. As always, guests are sure to be awed by the many other exhibits and thousands of animals they can visit at the National Aquarium.