An eco-friendly aquarium in Yangon, Myanmar, will partially open for the first time in 2016, after several months of delays.

Designed by the Myanmar office of Singapore-based urban architects Surbana, the US$15m (€13.3m, £9.7m) project broke ground in October 2014 to much fanfare, touted as “the most anticipated tourist attraction in Myanmar”. However, development was temporarily delayed so the aquarium could install higher-quality equipment than previously planned.

Masterplanning the 18,200sq m (196,000sq ft) development, Surbana was chosen in November 2013 to design the Yangon Aquarium having won a competition for tender, while SIPM Consultants were selected to handle construction management of the project and landscape architecture is being handled by the Yangon City Development Committee.

The two-storey structure, which has been designed to blend in seamlessly to its natural surroundings, is environmentally friendly in both construction and operation, with features such as a ‘green roof’ reducing energy consumption and output.

Once complete, the aquarium will be home to 500 different species of local freshwater and saltwater fish, including sharks for the first time in the country’s history.