I was privileged today to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the expansion and renovation project at the Seattle Aquarium where I am a volunteer diver. Because of safety issues, it's been a closed door to all, but the director John Baden led some of us through so we could get a better idea of how things were progressing, and what the $42 million project was going to look like when it opens in June. Here's a description from their website:

The impact of the New Currents Campaign will expand the Aquarium by 18,000 square feet to include a fresh new exterior, new Alaskan Way entrance and exhibit hall. At the heart of the expansion will be the Puget Sound Great Hall, a three story, light-filled building with interactive educational kiosks, sea life art and thought-provoking conservation exhibits focused on Puget Sound ’s ecosystems. Visitors will immediately be drawn to the end of Puget Sound Hall by the Window on Washington Waters, a 17-foot by 39-foot, 120,000 gallon showcase exhibit evoking Neah Bay’s rock blades filled with salmon, colorful rockfish, vibrant sea anemones and other marine life swimming amid a kelp-filled sea. New visitor amenities will include a full-service café and gift store, member entrance, additional ticketing stations and second floor viewing platforms for a three-dimensional look into Window on Washington Waters. A separate school group entrance will provide quick access for the increasing number of students and teachers who visit the Aquarium. The transition hall between the Windows on Washington Water exhibit to the tidal waters of the Life on the Edge exhibit will feature an open 40-foot by 8-foot Wave Tank allowing visitors the opportunity to hear the surging waves and observe how marine animals and plants survive in swirling, rough water.

Yes, we're going to dive in that tank!
See photos: Seattle Aquarium Expansion Construction