marine conservation centre
PULA, CROATIA
2022
IMAGES BY METROAREA
The Aquarium Punta Blue project stems from an ambitious vision: to create an international-scale marine conservation centre and aquarium in one of the most extraordinary natural settings on the Adriatic, the Premantura peninsula, at the southernmost tip of Istria.
The building is not simply an exhibition structure: it is itself an architectural work inspired by the sea.
The sinuous floor plan, generated by the sequence of internal pathways and the arrangement of the tanks, directly echoes the morphology of fish and shells. The facade, bright and luminous, is composed of a sequence of curved and convex walls evoking the rhythm of ocean waves, transforming the architectural envelope into an artificial landscape in constant dialogue with the natural one that surrounds it.
The complex stands atop a hill overlooking the sea, within a dense Mediterranean scrubland that ensures it remains almost entirely invisible from the surrounding territory. This is a deliberate choice: the project aims to respect and enhance the landscape of the Premantura Natural Park, integrating into the existing vegetation with the smallest possible visual footprint.
At the same time, the rear of the building opens towards the sea through large glazed surfaces that frame the Adriatic panorama, creating a continuous dialogue between the marine ecosystems on display inside and the real sea stretching to the horizon.
The structure unfolds across two main levels for a total floor area of approximately 7,800 sqm (excluding terraces), with a total exhibition area of over 3,350 sqm.
The ground floor is the experiential heart of the project, organised around a route that guides visitors through ecosystems of increasing scale.
The Mediterranean Sea opens the journey with the main tank, one of the largest Mediterranean tanks in Europe. Visitors are then led through the world of jellyfish, a tropical coral reef, and the vast lagoon holding nearly one million litres of water.
The section dedicated to the Amazon, Mangroves and Desert is home to caimans, piranhas, horseshoe crabs and cassiopea jellyfish, along a route through tropical freshwater ecosystems. The flying penguins inhabit a spectacular tank combining aerial and underwater zones, while the North Sea and freshwater Alpine and river habitats complete the journey with native species such as carp, sturgeon and trout.
The ground floor also houses a restaurant, the entrance atrium with ticketing and gift shop, a large multipurpose exhibition hall, and the technical areas required for tank management.
The first floor is dedicated to the coastal and sublittoral ecosystems of the Mediterranean: the splash zone, high and low tide areas, the marine lagoon, the marine community and algae section, and the sea turtle area with a recovery centre equipped with surgical and educational facilities.
The exhibition route continues through sections dedicated to Posidonia oceanica, the infralittoral and circalittoral zones, featuring a large ray tank, a gorgonian coral forest, and a school of fish display. A nursery completes the scientific journey, bearing witness to the project’s commitment to conservation.
The first floor also accommodates staff offices and the technical support areas for the tanks.
Mobility is managed through a shared interchange car park serving both the aquarium and the park area, consistent with the territory’s philosophy of sustainable access.
Aquarium Punta Blue is conceived not merely as a tourist attraction, but as a scientific institution dedicated to the conservation of Adriatic and Mediterranean marine ecosystems. The sea turtle recovery centre, the internal laboratories and the nursery bear witness to this dual vocation: welcoming the public while actively contributing to biodiversity research and protection.
Integration within the Mediterranean scrubland, the coordinated mobility management with the Premantura park, and the bioclimatic orientation of the building — with its large sea-facing glazing and the natural canopy of the vegetation — are the architectural expressions of this philosophy.
