The Aquarium Finisterrae is a landmark public facility situated on the Atlantic coast of Galicia. This comprehensive commission encompassed some of the primary marine water tanks and a highly specialized materials analysis program for its viewing systems. The core structural scope involved the design and analysis of the large-scale, reinforced concrete water-retaining structures forming several display tanks. Structures of this type demand a significantly higher standard of crack control than conventional reinforced concrete design — requiring a very specific reinforcement arrangement, strict concrete mix specifications, and specialized joint detailing to completely prevent leakage under sustained, long-term hydrostatic pressures.
Complementing the concrete tank design, a secondary specialist structural analysis package was executed to evaluate the large-format acrylic viewing panels under full hydrostatic loading. Acrylic panels in sub-surface marine applications are subject to continuous pressure, creep deformation, and thermally induced stress-loading conditions that fall entirely outside the scope of standard building codes. This required bespoke analytical methods grounded in previously undertaken academic research. By drawing on research-level knowledge of structural polymers, DBSW carried out a detailed assessment of the acrylic sheet behavior under these complex conditions, verifying the long-term safety, deflection limits, and structural performance of the viewing windows for this prominent public facility.