Client: Merlin Entertainments Holdings Deutschland Gmbh
Construction budget: 10.5million Euros
Completion date: 2006

Munich Olympic Park at Oberwiesenfeld, Germany was formerly an airfield but developed to stage the 1972 summer Olympics. The original use of the park has long since gone, but the site remains a dominant cultural and sporting venue which has attracted over 170 million paying visitors since 1972 and also provides the backdrop for architecture provided by some of the worlds greatest designers including Gunther Behnisch and Frei Otto.

The partially grass roofed sunken structure of the new building covers 2,200 square metres, houses over 30 exhibits including the 400,000 litre, 7m deep ocean tank and opened one week early,. The centre provides an entertaining but educational insight into some of Europe’s endangered aquatic ecosystems.

Kay Elliott are experienced in designing leisure and cultural buildings set within sensitive landscape and water related settings, and responded here to the brief with a stunning contemporary but welcoming design which works in harmony with other structures around the park and lake.

Images: Nick Guttridge and Intergeo Bremen