Riverwatch Aquarium & Visitor Centre

Riverwatch is an Aquarium & Visitor Centre, located in Derry, is under the umbrella of the Loughs Agency (LA), who manage the fisheries and marine resources of the Foyle and Carlingford Areas. We were tasked with enhancing the current offering at Riverwatch, aligning it with the sustainability goals of LA and improving connectivity across the site. With the head offices located onsite, a careful balance between security and permeability was required.

The overarching aim of the project was to develop a holistic strategy of tourism, education and conservation to encourage more visitors, thus raising awareness of the work of LA and the need for conserving our natural waterways.

A proposition was developed that embraced the natural landscape of the woodland and river, whilst providing a unique, immersive and interactive learning experience. This included a tree top walkway, floating classroom and an interactive aquarium, which removed all aspects of animal captivity from the site. Security fencing was receded to storage facilities only and a new entrance was provided off of the towpath, a popular walking trail adjacent the river, which improved the sense of arrival and wayfinding to/through the site.

Work completed whilst employed by Urban Scale Interventions.