TVS Design completes Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium's new flagship in Sarasota
TVS Design has finalized a 146,000-square-foot structure known as the Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA) for the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, situated in Sarasota, Florida. This facility, which opened late last year, is positioned 15 miles from its former location, near Nathan Benderson Park. Its design is inspired by marine life, featuring a central volume reminiscent of a boat hull and a facade that imitates fish scales. Visitors can enjoy open-air habitats, a 400,000-gallon aquarium, and research laboratories. The building can hold 1 million gallons of water, includes three STEM classrooms for over 70,000 K-12 students, and offers five workforce training labs. The total investment for the project was $132 million, with a goal of attracting 700,000 visitors in its inaugural year.
Key facts
- TVS Design completed the 146,000-square-foot Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA) in Sarasota, Florida, late last year.
- The facility is located next to the lake surrounding Nathan Benderson Park, 15 miles from the previous flagship on an island in Sarasota Bay.
- The design was inspired by marine life: the central volume resembles a boat hull, the cylindrical shape references swarming fish, and the white metal facade mimics fish scales.
- Jonathan Henry, associate principal at TVS, said every design decision balances storytelling with pragmatism.
- The building holds roughly 1 million gallons of water across all aquariums.
- Exhibition spaces feature sinuous curves mimicking wave currents, and the manatee exhibit includes a pseudo-building with weathered clapboard and shutters.
- Mote SEA includes three STEM classrooms with free programs for over 70,000 K-12 students in Sarasota and Manatee County school districts, plus five workforce training labs.
- The project cost $132 million and is expected to welcome 700,000 guests in its first year.
Entities
Artists
- Jonathan Henry
Institutions
- TVS Design
- Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
- Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA)
- Sarasota County School District
- Manatee County School District
Locations
- Sarasota
- Florida
- Nathan Benderson Park
- Sarasota Bay
- Atlanta