Reynolds Polymer Technology, Inc. Provides Acrylic Panels for State-Of-The-Art Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
Draper, UT (PRWEB) April 02, 2014 -- The wait for the greatly anticipated reopening of the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, Utah is finally over! Many have been looking forward to the grand opening of the aquarium since the previous location closed its doors in September. The transformation included the construction of a 136,000 square foot aquarium facility that is home to thousands of animals and 74 exhibits. Reynolds Polymer Technology played a pivotal role by supplying R-Cast® acrylic for the main shark tank viewing panels, a large tunnel, and the penguin exhibit.
Visitors to the shark tank, which comes complete with stadium seating, are immediately immersed in the panorama provided via two large R-Cast® viewing windows. The 6,000 pound custom aquarium panels are each 20 feet long by almost 9 feet tall and are capable of holding back some 300,000 gallons of water.
Adjacent to the panels is a 40 foot long underwater tunnel that gives 220º unimpeded views of thousands of animals - including sharks, sea turtles, rays, and a variety of saltwater fish. The tunnel at Living Planet is in fact the longest underwater viewing tunnel in the Rocky Mountain region. The closest comparable tunnel in size is roughly 750 miles away in California.
Another soon-to-be popular exhibit at the Living Planet Aquarium is currently home to 11 Gentoo penguins with more on the way. Reynolds Polymer constructed the viewing panels, including a 15 foot wide, custom-cast acrylic demi-tunnel, which features a concave design that lets visitors feel as though they have stepped inside the 90,000 gallon exhibit. Two additional 20 foot panels, weighing in at over 3,000 pounds each, are positioned to give an above-water view of the penguins as they show off their porpoising skills.
“The region is thrilled to have a new aquarium to visit, and so are we,” commented Matt Houlihan, Executive Vice President of RPT, which is headquartered in Grand Junction, CO. “What we now have in Utah is one of the longest acrylic tunnels in the Western US, and it’s full of sharks. What is more exciting than that?”
Ed Mueck, Reynolds Polymer Technology, +1 970-241-4700, [email protected]
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