1999 ACE AWARDS

CATEGORY #8

Project Of The Year ($3 - $6 Million)

Subcontractor

PROJECT

Colorado’s Ocean Journey

OWNER

Colorado’s Ocean Journey

GENERAL CONTRACTOR

Hensel Phelps / Alvarado Construction Company

ARCHITECT

Odyssea, a Joint Venture

(RNL Design & Anderson Mason Dale)

ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS

BCER Consulting Engineers

BBI Engineering

SUBMITTED BY

Ludvik Electric Co.

BRINGING COLORADO’S OCEAN JOURNEY TO LIFE

From the icy cold headwaters of the Colorado River to the steamy rainforest stretching along the lush banks of Indonesia’s Kampar River, Colorado’s Ocean Journey recreates two different worlds that stimulate all of the senses as visitors descend from mountain peaks to oceans' bottoms. The varied atmospheres created at this unique facility are enthralling and truly captivating. Each journey lets visitors get an up-close-and-personal look at 15,000 living specimens representing nearly 300 species of fish, birds, invertebrates and mammals. All are presented in authentic representations of their natural habitats—including Colorado’s native greenback cutthroat trout, North American river otters, green moray eels, Sumatran tigers, huge reef sharks, and a wildly colorful coral.

Essential in creating Ocean Journey’s remarkable natural illusions are the things that go unobserved during each visitor’s trip. Lights. Speakers. Mist makers. Fiber optics. Filters. Computers. Pumps. Wave and surge plungers—in short, a myriad of devices that simulate Ocean Journey’s unique environments. The 106,000-square-foot, tri-level facility, containing approximately 900,000 gallons of fresh and salt water, is truly a construction wonder.

Ludvik Electric Co. was privileged to be the electrical contractor on this unique, highly complex GMP/design-build project. Completing the work on the company’s $4.4 million contract required an unusually close working relationship with other trades, innovative use of construction techniques and materials, and precision execution during systems installation.

Ludvik’s involvement in the project began in the conceptual stage as the company participated in site selection and schematic development of the one-of-a-kind structure. From the beginning, it was apparent that the electrical work would play a major role in the efficiency of the facility’s operation and in creating the environmental illusions for Ocean Journey’s surface dwellers, underwater inhabitants and human visitors alike. Ludvik personnel traveled to aquariums in Hawaii, Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee and California to gain knowledge and better understand the unique nature of aquarium construction and systems—journeys that paid off in a quality installation!

Electrical construction consisted of a 3000 AMP service and distribution, a 300kW emergency generator system, power, lighting, sound, audiovisual, telephone/telecomm, fire alarm and detection system, security, site lighting and mechanical equipment wiring. Because of the incredibly complex network of piping and ducts running across the facility’s ceilings, Ludvik was confronted with the challenge of installing all conduit in the poured-in-place 6,000 psi concrete decks, which were up to 38" thick. During the process, conduit had to be fished (no pun intended) through an intricate network of #9 rebars 6" on center. Ludvik invested substantial time in upfront work, using CAD layout drawings as much as two months ahead of the work schedule to guarantee accuracy of the installation. Close coordination with all other trades, from mechanical to rock sculptors to tank fabricators, was essential to insure that power, light and audio-visual hookups were available at precisely the right locations throughout the facility. Weekly coordination meetings among all trades were scheduled but daily communication was the routine. And that was just the beginning!

As visitors travel through Ocean Journey, they may never see the light fixtures or speakers or other devices that create the natural aura around them. These devices create such effects as a violent lightening and thunder storm followed by a flash flood, sounds of wildlife in a distant jungle, simulated sunrise and sunset, surf and pounding waves. Thanks to the installation finesse of Ludvik's skilled team, devices are meticulously concealed in the rockwork, vegetation and other areas behind the scenes, going unnoticed while creating their authentic illusions. You find them camouflaged on rock surfaces, concealed in crevices, hidden among tree leaves. In fact, some wiring was actually pulled through the inside of artificial tree branches and roots. Without this attention to detail, much of Ocean Journey's realistic illusion would be lost.

To support the range of aquatic inhabitants, each tank features a specially designed and installed lighting system. In most cases, standard lighting was unacceptable. Fiber optics were used for underwater lighting because sharks and fish are attracted to electromagnetic currents. For instance, fiber optic light was used in the overhead trout stream and in the "light wells" where nurse sharks can be seen through the floor in areas resembling underwater caves. In addition, standard pool light fixtures could not be used because they could corrode and pollute the water. No conduit or raceway could be run in tank walls because of the magnetic attraction and to avoid any possibility of water leakage.

Other unique ideas employed by Ludvik to bring Ocean Journey to life included:

• Precision adjustment of individual theatrical lights after tanks were filled and specimens introduced to provide a natural, realistic appearance to underwater rocks formations.

• Imaginative installation of electrical conduit in rock formations to serve as "homes" for green moray eels, giving a whole new meaning to the term "electric eel."

• Use of a $1,500-per-day spider lift with a 65' boom enabling Ludvik workers to "reach out" to rock formations and over trees to install some of the electrical devices.

• The presence of salt water vapor and ozone in the interior air, special consideration had to be given to the choice of materials used, right down to the nuts, bolts and straps.

Despite working in this unusual environment, Ludvik's strict adherence to its ongoing safety program resulted in no lost time injuries during a total of 52,300 man-hours. One unique safety challenge involved development of a fall protection system consisting of retractable lanyards and life lines used by electricians as they literally crawled across a network of beams in the skylight areas to run lighting conduit. This became necessary after the installation of tanks, rockwork, trees and other materials, preventing the use of lifts. Toward the project's end, electricians had to return to these areas to adjust the lights.

Colorado's Ocean Journey provides visitors with a one-of-a-kind entertainment and educational experience. For Ludvik Electric, it was a one-of-a-kind installation experience.