Dubai Mall aquarium bags world record

Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre at The Dubai Mall, which opens its doors on November 4, 2008, has clinched the Guinness World Record for the ‘World's Largest Acrylic Panel'.

Measuring 32.88 metres wide, 8.3 metres high, 750 mm thick and weighing 245,614 kg, the acrylic viewing panel at Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre surpasses the current Guinness World Record holder, Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan, which is 22.5 metres wide, 8.2 metres high and 600 mm thick. The new record is expected to be featured in the upcoming edition of the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010.

The acrylic viewing panel at Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre was at the limit of production abilities by major acrylic manufacturers when the project was commissioned. This implies that the Guinness World Record for the ‘World's Largest Acrylic Panel' at Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre is set to stay until industry-approved manufacturing capabilities are redrawn to enable the production of bigger panels. The viewing panel was commissioned under the supervision of Oceanis Australia Group, the aquarium designer and operator.

At 750 mm thick, the acrylic viewing panel is built to withstand the enormous pressure of 10 million litres of water used in the aquarium, but transparent enough to give visitors clear views of the 33,000 plus marine animals on display.