Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium (Shedd) will undergo the most significant physical transformation of its lakefront home in recent history, which aims to change the viewing experience, accessibility measures, and add more conservation research areas.
As part of the project titled, Experience Evolution, the aquarium’s historic galleries will be replaced by new immersive, bilingual, and science-rich exhibits, and an enhanced accessible and entry experience. Further, the renovation will add greater space for conservation science research labs and modernized animal husbandry infrastructure and make robust investments in spaces and programs for environmental learning. The renovation will be completed by 2027.
Distinctive animal biology, behaviors, and biodiversity will center at the core of the new Shedd experience, replacing the current geographical-based experience with new ways to observe and learn about aquatic life. Many of the new exhibits will allow guests to feel as if they are beneath the water’s surface, engaging their senses and bringing them closer than ever to the wonder of the aquatic animal world. Hands-on programs will invite guests to dive deeper into programs such as learning what kelp tastes like, examining how a hagfish uses slime to protect itself, or observing what lives in local waters through a high-powered microscope.
In addition, new circulation pathways will significantly improve the historic building’s ability to meet guest accessibility needs, particularly for those with strollers or mobility devices.
However, the most significant changes are not only for guests, but also for many animals under Shedd’s care. For example, among the changes will be the transformation of the aquarium’s North Gallery into an immersive tunnel exhibit to serve as the new home to one of the aquarium’s fan-favorite, a rescued green sea turtle, Nickel. By providing double the amount of water volume and state-of-the art infrastructure to support a complex, warm saltwater environment, new spotted eagle rays will also join Nickel with more than twice the space to swim and explore.
Last year, Shedd unveiled its 2030 comprehensive strategic plan aimed at ensuring a more equitable, sustainable, and thriving future for people and aquatic life. Leading to the organization’s 100th anniversary, the multi-faceted centennial commitment is a $500-million transformational investment, requiring eight years to accomplish. The Experience Evolution construction project accounts for approximately half of the total investment. Shedd will remain open throughout the project duration, with new galleries, programs, and experiences opening on a rolling basis.
Part of the aquarium’s accessibility commitments include fully bilingual (English and Spanish) exhibits. Shedd recently unveiled its first bilingual exhibit, Plankton Revealed—an interactive experience that highlights the importance of tiny organisms that could be overlooked, but have a significant impact on the health and balance of aquatic ecosystems.
Earlier this year, the aquarium began construction on new Integrated Aquatic Science Labs—a space for conservation research, water chemistry, molecular ecology, pathology, and animal clinical care behind the scenes.
“We know that when people can truly connect with animals, it motivates an emotional, empathetic response that shifts attitudes and fosters a personal sense of responsibility for local waters, global oceans, and wildlife,” says Bridget Coughlin, PhD, president, and CEO at Shedd Aquarium. “People cannot care about something they do not know or understand, and it is only when we care about something, we are motivated to act – to love it, to protect it, to save it. In this age of increased urbanization and disconnection from nature, there is greater urgency to ensure more resilient, sustainable, and thriving communities and ecosystems for the future. As such, a greater opportunity must exist to nurture care and understanding for our shared blue planet. Shedd Aquarium’s experience evolution aims to do just that.”
