Foster + Partners has revealed its designs for the NT$150m (US$4.8m, €4.1m, £3.1m) aquarium to be built at the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology (NMMST) in Keelung City, Taiwan.

Scheduled to open in 2018, Foster and Partners’ plans for what will be the country’s largest aquarium employs titanium and green designs to create a modern light-filled environment, reminiscent of the ocean shallows. The design also incorporates a building height restriction so as to blend in with the surrounding Badouzi Harbour. Conceived as a social hub for the community, the museum’s focal point will be a new public plaza which will feature a shop, café and a restaurant.

Work on the 14,154sq m (152,000sq ft) development, which will house more than 300 species of marine creatures, is now underway following a groundbreaking ceremony taking place on 12 February.

“This makes the facility an attraction in its own right as it differs considerably from what is on offer at the National Museum of Biology and Aquarium in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County,” said deputy minister of education Lucia Lin at the groundbreaking ceremony, adding that the aquarium will showcase the marine biodiversity of northern and eastern Taiwan.

Keelung City mayor Lin Yu-chang added that the project is a major undertaking that is expected to help transform the northern metropolis into a national tourist destination. “It makes perfect sense to capitalise on the 9 million-strong market on our doorstep in Greater Taipei,” he said.