Lotte World Aims to Leave Guests in Awe with Underwater Aquarium Escalator Manufactured by Reynolds Polymer Technology
The recently completed Lotte World Aquarium, in South Korea, features a subsurface escalator, underwater viewing tunnels, and a nearly 30-yard long main viewing window. RPT manufactured a number of state-of-the-art R-Cast® acrylic panels for the attraction.
The highly anticipated Lotte World Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea, brings 650 species and 55,000 individual specimens of sea life to the surface for visitors to discover. As guests travel through the various exhibits, they will be able to experience these wonders of the deep due to the impeccable clarity offered by R-Cast® acrylic.
Lotte World is distinct in that it is a two-story aquarium comprised of a dozen specific aquatic zones. Traveling from one floor to the next represents the experience of traveling though different elevations of ocean life. To make this journey especially remarkable, a 29-foot long R-Cast® tunnel encases the escalator between floors giving visitors a dynamic underwater view.
The viewing window at the Ocean exhibit is at the heart of Lotte World Aquarium. Here, R-Cast® acrylic offers dynamic views of cownose rays and nurse sharks as they leisurely swim inside a specially-designed habitat. The main panel is an astonishing 80-feet long and 22-feet tall. Observers will likely never notice that the window is actually 18-inches thick because of Reynolds Polymer’s ability to cast a monolithic sheet that maintains remarkable clarity and near-invisible bonds – regardless of size.
Visitors will also be able to experience the magic of the Ocean encounter through the unique view of a demi-tunnel. This 27-foot long panel features a 90° bend, offering both horizontal and vertical views into the main tank. There is also a full tunnel in the Amazon River zone that is 53-feet in length, almost 6-feet tall and features a 167° bend, allowing for unlimited overhead viewing.
For the star animal of Lotte World – the beluga whale- Reynolds Polymer manufactured a one-of-a-kind panel. R-Cast® acrylic was custom-cast to create a 180° bend to provide guests expansive insight into the beluga habitat. The half-circle design is four-feet tall and a total of 50-feet long.
“What an honor it is to be a part of this paramount aquarium,” said Matt Houlihan, Vice President of RPT. “R-Cast® acrylic and the aspirations of Lotte World were a perfect fit.”
Lotte is the most recent of several oceanariums in South Korea that have involved Reynolds Polymer Technology. Aqua planets Yeosu, Jeju, and Ilsan have also opened in the last few years and feature numerous exhibits made from R-cast® acrylic.
