CHICAGO — Shedd Aquarium leaders unveiled “never-before-seen renderings and new details about construction plans” for their Centennial Commitment.

2030 will mark the Shedd’s 100th anniversary. Last year the organization announced a $500 million investment to modernize the aquarium by that centennial anniversary. View a slide show of all released renderings below.

Shedd leaders were joined by Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson Tuesday to reveal plans for new exhibits, learning spaces, and amenities to be installed. It was announced construction would begin within the next few weeks and the renovations would be completed in four phases over the next four years.

Watch the full event in the video above – see the virtual flythrough of the planned improvement renderings in the video below

According to the Shedd’s Centennial Commitment website, the vision for the aquarium includes:

• Deeper community investments and partnerships that not only bring the aquarium further into Chicago neighborhoods, but also bring neighborhood-level environmental discussions and solutions into new, expansive, dedicated community spaces within Shedd’s walls. 

• A modernized aquarium experience through the transformation and restoration of the historic galleries and dynamic new exhibits that provide greater and more accessible entry points to see and connect with aquatic life as a springboard to inquiry and nature exploration. 

• New educational and experiential programs created with equity and inclusion at the center that deepen science learning, increase environmental literacy and empower futures for youth. 

• Compelling digital engagements that bring animals and conservation action programs from the aquarium into more hands and homes everywhere. 

• Advancements in exemplary animal care and welfare for the thousands of animals in our care and to increase Shedd’s capacity to respond to more wildlife in crisis.

• Accelerated aquatic research and science to address the largest threats to biodiversity and species extinction.  

Here is a full description of each above rendering as provided by the Shedd Aquarium, along with a breakdown of the planned construction phases:

Amazon Rising Arapaima Habitat

• This rendering showcases a newly expanded arapaima habitat in the refreshed Amazon Rising gallery. Guests will be able to come eye-to-eye with these large freshwater fish as they feed and explore, in a habitat that will allow the fish to continue to grow in size. Enhancements made throughout the gallery will highlight and array of astounding adaptations that animals have developed to thrive in a landscape that completely transforms twice a year. Interactive experiences such as feeding programs, global pet trade education and a hands-on interactive where guests can charge their cell phones using the current generated by eels showcases the astounding and rich biodiversity of the Amazon River basin. 

Caribbean Tunnel

• The completely reimagined Caribbean Reef habitat features guest favorites like the rescued green turtle Nickel alongside blacktip reef sharks, goliath grouper and new spotted eagle rays. Guests will get a diver’s-eye-view of life on the reef in this expansive, 40-foot tunnel.

Changing Oceans

• This gallery ventures from the surface of the ocean to the depths of its floor to uncover varied and vibrant biodomes under the waves. As guests traverse through different ocean habitats, they will learn how animals and environments are changing in response to a shifting climate.

Changing Oceans Second Look

• This gallery ventures from the surface of the ocean to the depths of its floor to uncover varied and vibrant biodomes under the waves. As guests traverse through different ocean habitats, they will learn how animals and environments are changing in response to a shifting climate.

Enhanced Welcome Plaza and Gardens

• Shedd’s current Accessible Entrance will be enhanced to create a greater sense of arrival for guests, school buses, and groups as they approach the building. A new entry experience and exterior ticketing pavilion will offer a more seamless, quick and streamlined start to a visit.  

Grand Hall

• Shedd’s Grand Hall, featuring Georgian marble, limestone and Chicago brick work from its opening in 1930, will be restored and exalted in this space, which will become a gathering space for guests and a place for pop-up animal encounters and learning programs.

Kelp Forest Lower Look

• Experience a multi-story recreation of a California kelp forest alive with a variety of schooling fishes, swell sharks, leopard sharks and more. From the lower level, guests can sit and take in the wonder of this important ecosystem.

Kelp Forest Ramp Overlook

• Experience a multi-story recreation of a California kelp forest alive with a variety of schooling fishes, swell sharks, leopard sharks and more. New ramping will give guests multiple vantage points for this expansive exhibit.

Lakeside Learning Studio

• A technologically savvy, flexible launchpad for learning, the Lakeside Learning Studio will bring Shedd’s education spaces up from the basement and into the core of the aquarium experience. This new, central home for learning will be available to all guests and contribute to a wider solution to address disparities in access to nature and educational opportunities – especially for historically disinvested communities on Chicago’s south and west sides. Animal pop-ins and hands-on science experiments will give Chicago communities the chance to explore hagfish slime or taste sea kelp – making learning a multi-sensory experience. Shedd scientists will stop by or satellite in from the field to talk about the aquarium’s ongoing conservation and research efforts both here and around the world. This new space will also greatly increase Shedd’s capacity for facilitated learning experiences, increasing the number of students Shedd engage from 180,000 to beyond 230,000 annually.   

Living Lakes

• See how species beneath still waters across the globe hunt, reproduce, forage and support our blue planet. Making up nearly one-fifth of the Earth’s surface, lakes provide a critical ecosystem for both animal and human life. Guests can interact with a living fossil at the sturgeon touch habitat and come eye-to-eye with cichlids, paddlefish and ancient lungfish. The Great Lakes are a critical ecosystem with thousands of species adapted to live in and around them, and the habitats here feature many of the animals found just outside Shedd’s doors in Lake Michigan. 

New Atrium and Shedd Store

• New ticketing and security scanning technology will seamlessly sweep guests quickly into a bright and bold atrium. Once inside, new circulation pathways will create more choice in where to start a journey. Ramping throughout the aquarium will also significantly reduce the number of level changes at Shedd, improving physical mobility for guests. 

River Wonders

• Find out what lives beneath continually moving water systems in Myanmar, Madagascar, India and right here in Shedd’s backyard. Our Illinois streams are alive with a wealth of aquatic animals that support the health of life on land. Guests will be surrounded by the sights, sounds, and sensations of rushing water while learning how Shedd and our partners restore the health of local rivers and the species that rely on them, like Blanding turtles, mudpuppies and wood frogs. 

Shedd External Aerial Rendering

• Enhancements to Shedd’s exterior and four acres of surrounding green space will benefit anyone visiting Museum Campus – not just Shedd guests.

Whalefall

• At the bottom of the seafloor, guests will be surrounded by sound, light and touch while uncovering the story of the temporary environment that forms when a whale dies and the new ecosystem it creates for other species like crabs and hagfish.

Wonder of Water

• Experience the wonder and diversity of aquatic life through two towering saltwater and freshwater habitats. Guests will walk through the middle, observing vibrant corals living on one side and a lushly planted freshwater fish habitat on the other. New periscopes and towering viewing windows will let guests investigate fish nests, anemones and more.

FOUR YEARS, FOUR PHASES

Summer 2023 – Summer 2024

Welcome Plaza: Shedd’s current Accessible Entrance will be enhanced to create a greater sense of arrival for guests, school buses, and groups as they approach the building. A new entry experience and exterior ticketing pavilion will offer a more seamless, quick and streamlined start to a visit.

Gardens: The four acres of green space surrounding Shedd’s historic lakefront building, including the Smith Family Gardens and Sick Family Gardens, will be mobilized into a living classroom that celebrates and activates nature play and learning for all without admission, in addition to serving as a vibrant habitat for local species and migrating bird and insect populations. Garden activities will include seeing how Shedd produces hundreds of pounds of honey while supporting many pollinators species.

Atrium: New ticketing and security scanning technology will seamlessly sweep guests quickly into a bright and bold atrium. Once inside, new circulation pathways will create more choice in where to start a journey. Ramping throughout the aquarium will also significantly reduce the number of level changes at Shedd, improving physical mobility for guests.

Gallery – Wonder of Water: The historic rotunda will soon be home to a dual-habitat system, one fresh water and saltwater, serving as the beating heart of the aquarium. Guests will walk through the middle, observing vibrant corals on one side and a lushly planted freshwater fish habitat on the other. New periscopes and towering viewing windows will give guests peaks into fish nests, anemones and more.

Gallery – Amazon Rising: Several improvements to Amazon Rising, a compelling story of life in the Amazon River basin, will bring new energy to the exhibit. Renovations to the habitats of the arapaima and anaconda will explore how animals have adapted to life in some of the planet’s most unique and challenging environments. Exhibits will encourage behaviors like foraging, hunting, diving, mating, and interactives like an electric eel voltage meter will bring guests even closer to unique biology.

Summer 2024 – Summer 2026

Gallery – Changing Oceans: In this completely new immersive experience, guests will follow a path to venture from the top of a vibrant ocean down through the depth of the water column. As they traverse through different biomes, guests will learn about how these animals and environments are changing in response to a shifting climate.

o   Exhibit – Kelp Forest: This multi-story habitat will feature a towering kelp forest and the many animals like leopard sharks that make their home swimming among them. Seating will encourage guests to take a moment to be mesmerized by the wonder of these environments and better understand their important ecological function.

o   Exhibit – Caribbean Tunnel: The reimagined Caribbean Reef habitat will feature guest favorites like the rescued green sea turtle, Nickel, alongside new arrivals like majestic spotted eagle rays in an expansive 40-foot tunnel.

o   Exhibit – Whalefall: At the bottom of the seafloor, this exhibit will use sound, light and touch to tell the story of the unique, temporary environment that forms when a whale dies, the new ecosystem it creates for other species, and its surprising connection to climate change.

Lakeside Learning Studio: A technologically savvy, flexible launchpad for learning, the Lakeside Learning Studio will bring Shedd’s education spaces up from the basement and into the core of the aquarium experience. This new, central home for learning will be available to all guests and contribute to a wider solution to address disparities in access to nature and educational opportunities – especially for historically disinvested communities on Chicago’s south and west sides. Animal pop-ins and hands-on science experiments will give Chicago communities the chance to explore hagfish slime or taste sea kelp – making learning a multi-sensory experience. Shedd scientists will stop by or satellite in from the field to talk about the aquarium’s ongoing conservation and research efforts both here and around the world. This new space will also greatly increase Shedd’s capacity for facilitated learning experiences, increasing the number of students Shedd engage from 180,000 to beyond 230,000 annually.

North Terrace: Shedd will restore the North Terrace, and in the process, extend it by 10 feet, giving guests more space to spread out and enjoy the view of the lake and the city skyline. Underneath, this additional space will house new life support systems that will power many of Shedd’s new exhibits and galleries.

Summer 2026 – Winter 2026

Gallery – River Wonders: The fully renovated Rivers experience will showcase river systems and interactive habitats that explore the biology and behavior of life in and around an Illinois stream. Guests will be enveloped by the sounds and sensations of moving water as it crashes and splashes through the habitats and explore how human impacts can have rippling effects on wildlife like Blanding’s turtles, mudpuppies, and wood frogs.

Gallery – Living Lakes: Highlighting freshwater fishes as a vital resource for human communities, the updated Lakes gallery will offer new opportunities for guests to connect with uniquely evolved animals like cichlids from around the world, as well as popular interactives like the lake sturgeon touch habitat.

Grand Hall: Shedd’s historic foyer will be restored to enhance the historical splendor and architectural details, while creating a more welcoming atmosphere. This room will become a gathering place, which will feature animal encounters, learning programs and interactives that call out historical depictions of aquatic life and cultural connections to water from around the world.