The homeowners of this 18,000-square-foot addition and remodel outside Baltimore wanted to include an aquarium as part of their high-end project. Ilex Construction & Development president Delbert Adams worked with project manager Kent Darrell on the design concept, a large acrylic tube inside a curved stairwell the height of two floors. Then it was up to Darrell and his team to figure out how to build it.

The tank holds 3,600 gallons of salt water and is located in a stairwell in the addition that connects the first floor to an entertainment space on the lower level. The basement room is designed to resemble an English subway station and has a stainless steel diner, a full arcade, a gym, a pool table, and a large-screen television.

The tank is made of two stacked cylindrical pieces. The construction firm turned to an aquarium ecosystem company in Florida to provide the equipment to maintain the aquarium. The tank was installed after the addition had been framed and the staircase built. “We constructed the roof with a gaping hole in it so we could crane the tank in from above,” Darrell recalls.

The space was tight — there are less than 4 inches between the tank and the staircase. Darrell's crew finished the white oak stair treads, risers, and skirtboard before the tank was installed. “Usually finishing the floor is the last thing you do, but because of this tight spacing, we really had to think it through,” he says. Using a stainless steel rail instead of posts ensures an unobstructed view of the fish.


© Summer 2007 Upscale Remodeling