I put photos on my site of my visit there. I wish I could talk to someone
about what they used to landscape their interiors. Did you know that there
is a bigger aquarium planning/built in ... Georgia I think. So the Shedd
will still be the biggest public aquarium in Illinois ;~).

Oh yeah, I remember when you posted those NetMax because we discussed
how my former company did the $150 Million renovation for Shedd.
(refresher: I am an exhibit designer who started out in public
aquariums)

Depending on the type of landscape they are trying to reproduce they
will often use a resin casted from molds and/or blow shotcrete and
shape it by hand. Obviously, the former works better on detailed
landscape. Some institutions will mix live material (plants, corals,
etc) into their exhibits. Monterey Bay for example pumps water in from
outside and grows all their own giant kelp. New England Aquarium's
central tank is entirely fabricated and hand painted.