Shedd Aquarium Centennial Commitment Master Plan

Shedd Aquarium will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2030. In honor of this milestone, the aquarium has made a multi-faceted Centennial Commitment to preserve the natural world, further the public understanding of what lies beneath the water's surface, and to enable everyone their role in saving the planet.

Shedd Aquarium Master Plan, 2018

In alignment with the Centennial Commitment, Shedd embarked on developing a comprehensive Master Plan to chart the course for the next 100 years of aquatic education. To support this effort, Shedd enlisted three consultants to defi ne a new visitor experience, and a renewed commitment to the care of the animals. The team included:

• Dig In UX to direct Human Factors centered research with the aim of transforming the visitor experience.

• Thinc Exhibit Design whose significant experience in museums and aquariums would set the stage for re-imagining the exhibits and habitats.

• Valerio Dewalt Train (VDT) whose reputation for user-based, and data-driven design underlies our success in long complex projects. 

Master Plan Research

Beginning with research, Dig In, VDT, and Shedd embarked on an extensive campaign to understand the existing conditions at Shedd. The following examples were some of the most significant research findings.

• With the relocation of the northbound lanes of DuSable Lake Shore Drive approximately 80% of the visitors arrived from the south at the Shedd traffic circle either by taxi, rideshare, city bus, or by car, parking in the new Soldier Field garage. The first entry they experienced was the accessible, southwest entry.

• The small, accessible southwest entrance did not have the capacity to meet demand as groups, with or without mobility issues tried to use this entrance.

• Originally, admission to the Shedd was free and the Grand Hall was a place to prepare for your visit. With the advent of paid admission, the Hall became a chaotic place with a myriad of visitor services jammed into this room.

• The “Oceanarium” (opened in 1991) and the “Wild Reef” (opened in 2003) were reached by passing through the historic galleries, Dig In found that 20% of the guests never found either the “Wild Reef” or the “Oceanarium.”

• These “misses” aligned with similar findings discovered in the 2006 Master Plan.

• Further research showed that one in five groups of visitors had a mobility issue, including families with children in strollers.

• Vertical circulation between the three different exhibit levels did not have enough capacity and was hidden and difficult to find.

• Dig In surveyed visitors and discovered the Wild Reef and the Oceanarium were highly rated by visitors. On the Historic Gallery Level, only the Caribbean Reef in the Rotunda had a high rating, the South Galleries renovated in 2001 had a middling rating, while the North Galleries and East Galleries had a low rating from visitors.