Zebrafish Tank Suite
Our process began with a feasibility study to find the proper location to house this specialized salt water tank suite.
The tank suite requires several particular conditions, lighting control to regulate circadian rhythm, temperature control to maintain the proper temperature habitat conditions for fish health, and limited vibration and sound penetration. In addition to habitat conditions several logistical conditions were also considered including proximity to support services and the structural capacity of the floor system.
An underutilized basement space was ultimately selected for a number of reasons. The very reasons why the below grade location was under utilized made it ideal for this purpose.
The space was naturally insulated and generally cooler most of the year being below grade which made maintaining the low temperature for fish habitat more efficient.
This below grade space is also ideal for a program which by nature does not want to have windows. The space is easily isolated thermally, and it’s adjacency to mechanical systems allowed the installation of a dedicated unit to be cost effective keeping pipe and duct runs short. The basement location also did not require any structural modifications to support the loads of tanks and equipment.
The space is designed to maintain rigid thermal and humidity control, stand up to high humidity, salt water exposure, and provides an advanced lighting control system to mimic day lighting and circadian rhythm. The adjacent support space for fish food prep, management, monitoring and maintenance is designed to maintain normal environmental conditions separate from the fish tank suite.
