Clancy & Theys Construction Company provided construction services for the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher expansion and renovation project in 2002. The expansion and renovation of the Fort Fisher Aquarium took 26 months and nearly tripled the size of the facility to 84,000 SF. The public facility was designed and built for aquatic education and enjoyment and is one of North Carolina’s most popular tourists and educational destinations.
The project consisted of 54,000 SF of very specialized new construction and renovations. Located on a peninsula of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape Fear River, the project showcases dramatic new spaces highlighted by two major additions – The Cape Fear Freshwater Conservatory and the Cape Fear Shoals.
The Cape Fear Conservatory, 20,000 SF in size, is covered by a clear span aluminum space frame roof. Reaching 60 feet above the floor, translucent panels allow natural and diffused light to enter the space. The Conservatory leads visitors on a walk through the waters of the Cape Fear River as it travels from its headwaters to the Atlantic Ocean. Fish, turtles, and alligators inhabit the ponds and waterfalls surrounded by trees and ferns.
The Cape Fear Shoals space is highlighted by a spectacular 24-foot-deep saltwater aquarium containing 235,000 gallons. Multiple viewing windows offer views of nearly 500 saltwater creatures and nearly 50 different species, swimming among thousands of artificial corals and sponges. Divers, performing routine maintenance and cleaning, communicate with visitors via an underwater communication system. As with the Conservatory, life support systems for the aquatic habitats remain carefully hidden from view. The design and construction of this project was demanding, challenging, and unique in almost every detail.
Clancy & Theys returned to the Fort Fisher Aquarium and provided construction services for the Shark tooth Ledge Exhibit project in 2016. Work consisted of removal and replacement of the existing Shark tooth Ledge exhibit along with aquascape and other FRP components. The existing exhibit was contained in a single-piece fiberglass tank, 28 x 13 x 7’ deep which was constructed in a single piece before the aquarium was completed. The original tank had deteriorated due to age and was replaced with a similar sized tank that was built in sections designed to fit through existing doorways with only inches to spare. Each section was lifted onto a display platform, bolted onto its adjacent section, and slid into place behind the walls of the exhibit. Newly installed 6-foot-high acrylic windows were integral to the tank and range in size from 5 feet to 15 feet long. New fiberglass aquascape was inserted into the tank in three sections, and region-appropriate fiberglass flora designed to replicate local coral and seaweed was added upon completion. A new life-support system was installed before the tank was filled with water and regional aquatic life. All work was done while the aquarium remained open.
Currently, Clancy & Theys is in the design and preconstruction phase for new renovations and an addition to the Fort Fisher Aquarium. Construction is slated to begin in 2025.
