National Aquarium of New Zealand, HVAC Plant Renewal

The National Aquarium of New Zealand is a key leisure and tourism facility, drawing visitors to the Napier region from across the globe. 

Through a programme of continuous asset management, Napier City Council is committed to ensuring its status as a major drawcard to the region.

The facility was first constructed in 1976 and then in 2002 underwent a major redevelopment which included a new 1.5 million litre Oceanarium with tunnel walk.  Much of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment dates from the 2002 refit, and due to the marine environment, it is approaching end of life.

Aquair is engaged to manage the staged renewal of the HVAC systems and aquatic life environment heating and cooling systems.  The project presents many significant challenges – the core of the building is circular and has very few straight walls, and the beachfront location requires consideration of the effects of corrosive seawater both outside the building as well as inside!  These challenges have been overcome by selection of products with enhanced corrosion protection, and in one case, an air handling unit that must be built-up on site in sections due to spatial constraints.

With life safety for the exhibits as a key priority, and to enhance resilience, heating and cooling of the aquatic life tanks has been separated from the HVAC systems and will be under its own SCADA control.

The Oceanarium renews its water over a period of time directly from the sea.  To cater for climate change, cooling has been added to assist in maintaining the water temperatures within limits tolerable to its inhabitants.