Florida Construction News staff writer
Skanska has been selected to lead a major expansion of the Cox Science Center and Aquarium in South Florida, a project that will add a new Hall of Science and significantly increase the facility’s aquarium capacity.
The project includes construction of an 86,000-square-foot, two-story Hall of Science on the existing campus of the Cox Science Center and Aquarium, formerly known as the South Florida Science Center & Aquarium. The expansion is designed to enhance science education, research and hands-on learning while allowing the center to remain open during construction.
Designed by PBK, the expanded facility will feature new permanent and traveling exhibition spaces, hands-on STEM learning environments and an enlarged aquarium. Planned aquatic exhibits include a Gulfstream tank, shark and ray touch tanks, and dedicated displays highlighting the Florida Everglades and mangroves.
As part of the scope, Skanska will construct a two-story building that adds approximately 115,000 gallons of aquarium volume across 16 saltwater and freshwater exhibit tanks. Once complete, the center is expected to become Florida’s fifth-largest aquarium.
A key feature of the project is the Gulfstream Tank, described as the largest concrete exhibit tank in the expansion. The tank will include an acrylic viewing window measuring 14 feet high by 24 feet long and weighing about 20,000 pounds. To accommodate installation, openings will be built into the second floor and roof decks, allowing the panels to be placed after the structure is enclosed and climate-controlled.
“We are very pleased to be moving forward with Skanska, who we selected after an exhaustive market review,” said Eric Stonestrom, chair of the Cox Science Center and Aquarium board. He cited the firm’s operating history and locally based team with aquarium construction experience.
Skanska said the project will showcase sustainable and innovative construction methods while supporting STEM education and aquatic exploration.
Structurally, the Hall of Science will use a hybrid system of cast-in-place concrete and concrete masonry unit walls, with precast concrete joist elevated decks and a structural steel roof. Architectural features will include exposed concrete, stucco finishes and a curtainwall façade.
The expansion also includes a separate pre-engineered metal building to house aquarium life-support systems and holding tanks, as well as a standalone utility plant for chillers, fire pumps and other critical equipment.
