Harbor Wetland

The Port Wetland is a floating wetland project for the National Aquarium on Baltimore's Inner Harbor, designed by Ayers Saint Gross, opened to the public for free between Piers 3 and 4 in 2024. The aquarium's ambition is to inspire conservation of the world's aquatic treasures, and the project converts its campus into a demonstration landscape for the Chesapeake Bay. The 10,000-square-foot floating wetland allows visitors to experience the salt marsh that existed here centuries ago, using more than 30,000 herbaceous plants and shrubs that will mature into green infrastructure supporting a thriving ecosystem. The project grew out of an earlier waterfront campus master plan by Ayers Saint Gross, which produced a floating-wetland prototype; the team worked with the National Aquarium, BioHabitats, McLaren Engineering and Kovacs, Whitney Associates to advance Studio Gang's original EcoSlip concept. The Learning Pier becomes a new civic anchor for the Inner Harbor, drawing visitors to the port's wildlife while serving as a social space and a free outdoor exhibition where the aquarium can educate the public and research the harbour. An innovative construction system ensures the investment will far outlast the life of conventional floating wetlands, turning the wetland into an enduring landmark for Baltimore's inner harbour.