8 minute read
Light Beneath the Surface
from Oct/Nov 2025
Lighting the Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion
By Randy Reid
Photo Credit: Lara Swimmer / Esto
The Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion anchors the city’s revitalized waterfront. Just steps from Pike Place Market and overlooking Elliott Bay, the Pavilion reimagines the role of an aquarium—transparent, welcoming, and deeply connected to its urban surroundings.
Gone are the dark, windowless corridors typical of such institutions. Instead, the Pavilion is filled with daylight, where habitats, art, and architecture converge into a single narrative of conservation.
At the core of that story is a rare collaboration: LMN Architects, Thinc Design and HLB Lighting Design working in lockstep, shaping both space and light with equal intention.
Most of our coverage focuses on lighting designers, yet this project is different. Teal Brogden, principal at HLB Lighting Design, insisted that architect Hanna Kato, Associate at LMN Architects, join the conversation.
The reason is simple: LMN and HLB have forged a partnership spanning three decades. “Our longstanding relationship with LMN is rooted in a shared reverence for light and its impact within the built environment,” Teal explained. “That partnership empowers us to think about light not as an accessory, but as an integral part of the human and animal experience.”
The demolition of Seattle’s elevated viaduct opened the door for one of the most significant civic transformations in the city’s history. Today, the waterfront promenade flows seamlessly from the cruise ship terminal to Pike Place Market. Ocean Pavilion contributes to this reconnection with a rooftop park and fully public elevator that connect the shoreline and city core.
“It was about restitching the city back together,” said Hanna. “From an urban point of view, the connections are remarkable.”
Even before buying a ticket, passersby encounter the Pavilion’s mission. A monumental Oculus window provides views into Indo-Pacific habitats, which Hanna described as “an equitable gift back to the city.” The Pavilion’s broader story is one of unity, linking the Salish Sea and the Indo-Pacific Coral Triangle as “two corners of the same ocean.”
Most aquariums shut visitors into black-box galleries. The Ocean Pavilion breaks that rule, introducing large windows and daylight-filled spaces. The challenge was to harness natural light without overexposing the habitats.
Teal explained that daylight played a central role in the Pavilion’s design, but it required careful balance. Too much daylight could create problems—glare for visitors, algae growth within the habitats, and unwanted solar heat gain.
To prevent these issues, LMN and HLB conducted extensive daylighting studies, modeling geometries and testing conditions to ensure the building welcomed daylight without compromising the health of marine life or visitor comfort.
Hanna added that the team went beyond computer models to prove that the custom fixtures could meet their needs. “We actually took mock-up fixtures into the existing aquarium and found a habitat with a similar water depth to replicate the conditions,” she explained.
To simulate the final geometry, they used mirrors above the water to match the light’s travel distance. Divers equipped with light meters then tested the levels at the bottom, confirming the spectrum and intensity needed to support coral growth. The exercise gave confidence that the new habitat would thrive under carefully tuned lighting.
“The animals are client number one,” Hanna emphasized. “Every design decision began with their well-being, then moved to the guest experience and storytelling.”
Sustainability threads through the building systems: central air heat pumps, a semi-closed water system, low-carbon materials, high-performance glazing, and planted roofs that reduce stormwater pollution.
Seattle Aquarium Vice President of Facilities and Operations Jesse Phillips-Kress worked with PAE Engineers to choose a long-lasting corridor solution. Ben Kuritz of Washington-based rep firm PLSWA recommended 42 of Kenall Manufacturing’s SenScape 18-inch ceiling-mounted luminaires for the back-of-house corridors—selected for durability, easy maintenance, and reliable performance in a corrosive, salt-rich environment while meeting the Pavilion’s energy goals.
The Reef habitat by itself houses a total system of 500,000 gallons of water, but two habitats carry the most complex lighting demands. The Archipelago habitat contains live coral and mangrove trees, requiring grow-light levels calibrated for photosynthesis.
Lighting the habitats demanded a careful balancing act. “We both wanted a lot of light and no light,” recalled Teal. Coral and other species required specific spectra to grow, while projections in the same space needed minimal spill light.
The solution was a pair of custom luminaire types, each tuned to the spectral characteristics of its environment—blue spikes for coral growth, amber-rich tones for above-water plantings. HLB modeled the spectral performance, then validated it with light meters both in air and underwater to confirm accuracy. This rigorous process ensured that the light nourished life without overwhelming the visual storytelling.
In addition to the grow lights tuned for plants and coral, the Pavilion also employs a layer of theatrical-style luminaires. These architectural fixtures were used to illuminate the stairs with extreme precision. By relying on shutter framing, the design team ensured the beams remained tightly controlled, preventing any spill light from interfering with projection walls.
The larger Reef habitat, with artificial corals, demanded equal care. Lighting had to reveal the scene to visitors while balancing against projections and reflections.
Electric light in the Pavilion follows circadian patterns. At dawn, habitat lights slowly fade up, emulating sunrise. At night, the system shifts to subtle blue tones akin to moonlight transmitted through water. Over the Reef, indirect uplighting colors the ceiling to mirror the sky dome—crisp whites at noon, ambers at sunset.
“What’s magical,” Teal said, “is that the real environment outside the windows is doing the same thing at the same time.” Visitors experience both the natural Seattle sky and its luminous echo above the habitats.
Beyond technical precision, the Pavilion’s lighting also embraces a sense of theatricality. Palazzo Lighting Design, collaborating with the exhibit designer Thinc Design, played a central role in shaping the interpretive and exhibit experience.
Their contributions included carefully crafted lighting for displays, signage, and cultural objects, as well as dynamic effects such as wave projectors and toe-kick glows that brought the environment to life.
HLB provided architectural clarity, from shutterframed theatrical fixtures lighting stairs to carefully balanced façade illumination. The result is a blended authorship where special effects and functional lighting merge without hierarchy.
The rooftop park demanded another kind of balance. Lighting had to ensure safety while preserving darkness for stargazing and waterfront views. Handrail lights, bollards, and carefully feathered stair lighting create a subtle glow without washing out the bay.
Coast Salish Voices: Dan Friday
Art anchors the Pavilion as firmly as concrete and steel. The Aquarium committed early to selecting an Indigenous artist through a committee made up entirely of Indigenous leaders. Their choice was Dan Friday, a glass artist of the Lummi Nation. Dan created three integrated pieces for the entrance: a ceiling installation, an etched floor oval, and a series of glass fish.
The ceiling design, fabricated in-house by LMN, translates Dan’s sketches into a parametric pattern, called Richlite, cut from FSC-certified paper composite panels. Inspired by Coast Salish weaving and fishing traditions, the design radiates from the central Oculus. Dan drew specifically on the practice of leaving intentional holes in salmon nets— allowing the strongest fish to escape and continue the lineage. This symbolism, etched into the ceiling, becomes a message of resilience and continuity.
On the floor below, Dan’s etched oval tells the Lummi story of Grandmother Rock, who shelters sea creatures and warns them of the tides. His great-grandfather, Joseph Hillaire, was a renowned story pole carver; recordings of him telling the tale are preserved in the Library of Congress. By embedding these narratives into the building, Friday ensures that the Coast Salish presence is not an add-on but part of the Pavilion’s DNA.
For visitors, the Ocean Pavilion is both a spectacle and a lesson. The habitats draw the eye. The light reveals and conceals. The art roots the building in place. For animals, the design simulates natural rhythms, supporting life and growth. For the city, the Pavilion is a civic gift, with its rooftop and Oculus open to all.
Teal ended by noting that the project was “a standout in so many ways: the deeply meaningful mission and goals, stunning architectural and artistic expression, and collaborative team spirit, starting with the Aquarium leadership embracing the value of each and every team member’s expertise. We all worked together towards the common good.”
And as Hanna added, “The building constantly reminds you that what happens here affects the Indo-Pacific, and what happens there affects us. It’s all one ocean.”
