St. Louis Aquarium

The St. Louis Aquarium project fell into our hands at the right place and the right time. PGAV Destinations (architect on the project) was searching for the right finish for the “River Pavement” they desired on the exterior plaza feature of the St. Louis Aquarium. Their search continued after discovering that epoxy terrazzo is NOT recommended for exterior use. Enter Nate Harris (Business Development Manager for Musselman and Hall) with a very timely lunch and learn presentation. Coincidentally, the designer for the St. Louis Aquarium was attending the L&L that day. Nate shared pictures and samples of the Bomanite Revealed decorative concrete system and, as simple as that, the decision was made. That very afternoon PGAV notified McCarthy (GC on the project) to contact Mussleman & Hall about installing the River Pavement. Details were ironed out, samples were made for selection, and we installed the 372 square foot feature just five weeks later. 

When we arrived on site we first had to set the forms to the designed shape to emulate the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Additionally, blockouts had to be made for the “railroad bridges” to be installed later with pavers. Although very challenging, John (JZ) Eggert’s crew completed perfectly. Before pouring the  Bomanite Revealed system we first had to place a plain concrete base slab held down ½” from the finish elevation. Once the base placed, we mixed the Revealed topping on site adding blue integral color, a combination of 3 different colors of blue glass, and clear glass to the mix. This mixture was applied at a ½” thickness directly over the freshly placed base concrete for a monolithic bond. The result was beautiful.