Viewed from above, the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science Aquarium takes the organic shape of a water droplet. This four-level structure houses the Gulf Stream Aquarium, a 100-foot-wide, 500,000-gallon, cone-shaped vessel. McClure served as the cold-formed steel specialty engineer of record for the building’s unique façade—a fully vented, doubly-curved stucco and tile cavity system with smooth lines evoking the bow of a ship. The façade features a continuously changing curvature overlaid with a linear tile pattern held to an extremely tight 3/16-inch tolerance. The three-inch round tiles—flat, convex, or concave—combine aesthetic appeal with the durability required to meet Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) standards.

The façade system was designed and engineered to perform structurally like a curtain wall, suspended from the fourth-floor slab of the aquarium. Framing and cladding elements required precise coordination, with studs standing off from the base slab and metal clips used to maintain consistent placement. A complex substructure of curved hat channels created a vented cavity behind the exterior skin, directing water away from the structure using overlapped metal sheathing. The design team used parametric modeling and iterative feedback loops to maintain pattern alignment and ensure system integrity, addressing potential engineering issues and structural clashes in real time. Designed to withstand Category 5 hurricane forces and high-impact projectiles, the Frost Museum Aquarium is a prime example of a high-risk, geometrically complex project executed with tight tolerances and collaborative innovation.