Shedd Aquarium - Amphibians

John G. Shedd Aquarium | Chicago, IL | 2015

The John G. Shedd Aquarium’s newest exhibit, Amphibians, has given guests something to jump about.

What It Was

The John G. Shedd Aquarium’s newest exhibit, Amphibians, has given guests something to jump about. Housed in its temporary exhibit space, Amphibians features 30 habitats and more than 40 species of frogs, salamanders, newts and rarely seen caecilians. The exhibit is organized into three sections that explore the physical and environmental changes impacting amphibian populations.

What We Did

Lightswitch Architectural was tasked with replacing the existing track lighting in this rotating exhibit space with new illumination that would give the aquarium greater flexibility when lighting both Amphibians and future exhibits. Using the existing track system, we developed a solution that would enable the museum to customize the lighting to suit each exhibit. We added a combination of dimmable, color-tunable LED PAR lamps and mini theatrical LED fixtures linked to a central control system that give Shedd its desired flexibility with virtually no maintenance. For Amphibians, we adjusted the color of the new lighting so that it enriched the color of the graphics, while also complementing the animal habitat illumination.

Why It Worked

A longtime, trusted collaborator of Shedd Aquarium, Lightswitch Architectural has designed the lighting for several of the aquarium’s most beloved experiences and exhibits. Knowing the care and attention to detail that Shedd puts into crafting its exhibits, we designed a lighting plan that would help it to further enhance the guest experience at Amphibians. The new LED lighting requires no maintenance for the duration of the exhibit, ensuring that each time guests return the only things that change are the animals. Photos: (c) Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez