National Aquarium’s Floating Wetland Prototype

Part of the National Aquarium (NA) in Baltimore’s Master Plan is to transform the canal between Piers 3 and 4, in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, into a 15,000 square foot floating wetland habitat. McLaren Engineering Group worked to transform their vision into a reality by engineering a living shoreline ecosystem prototype that attracts native species while improving water quality, and providing visitors a unique perspective of the salt marsh habitat and the critical role it plays in the health of the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem. To test the stability and resiliency of a large-scale project, McLaren’s Marine team engineered a 15-foot by 20-foot award-winning small-scale floating wetland prototype that is currently exceeding expectations in the Aquarium’s waterfront campus in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.