Poggenpohl Reef Aquarium, St. Albans 

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Poggenpohl are a globally renowned kitchen design brand, known for their iconic designs and passion for pushing the boundaries of how we use the kitchen. In 2010 Poggenpohl were in the middle of a campaign that focused on redefining the kitchen as a living space, the heart of the home, somewhere more than just a place to prepare and cook food.

 

IA founder Akil Gordon-Beckford collaborated with the design team at their UK head office to create a bespoke aquarium feature that was completely integrated into the award winning design +Artesio. The idea behind this whole concept was to showcase how an aquarium can add a dynamic and colourful element to any living space including the kitchen. 

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This aquarium was a 650 litre, state of the art reef system braced and supported within an anodized aluminium frame. To create a seamless transition from aquarium glass to kitchen Poggenpohl's senior designer Richard Anderson specified +Artesio glass laminated panels and doors to surround the tank and hide all the equipment. The ecosystem comprised of 80kg of live rock, coral sand and a macro algae refugium, powered by pump/skimmer from ATB and two LED light units from Aqua Illumination. Ventilation fans were installed to reduce cabinet humidity and prevent damage to the doors and panels. An auto top off, auto feeder, and aquarium computer by GHL enabled online monitoring and control to complete what at the time grew to be a balanced and beautiful aquarium system display.

 

The challenges we encountered and overcome whilst building and managing this aquarium system created the original blueprint for Integrated Aquariums.