An organic form taken from nature gives shape to the object in which nature is researched and displayed. The nautilus is one of the oldest life forms on Earth which still exists virtually unchanged in the seas. It is the perfect symbol for a university building for maritime sciences, the Campus Tobago of UTT at Buccoo Point, at the western tip of the island. The construction of the Campus, with an estimated cost of EUR 37 million, is to commence 2010 and is to be completed by 2012.
The three-storey building, just like the nautilus on which it is modelled, is divided into several different chambers. They contain areas for different uses, e.g. the huge Auditorium for conferences and conventions, the IT and seminar rooms for students and the various laboratories for the researchers. Moreover, the building accommodates a visitors' centre with alternating exhibitions and worlds of experience. The textile shell consists of a material similar to that employed for the Allianz Arena in Munich. The membranes can illuminate the object at night using LEDs and turn it into a diffusely radiating landmark visible from a great distance.
