The Amazon Rainforest exhibit at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is one of New Orleans’ most ambitious indoor habitat spaces, a multi-story living environment designed to recreate the awe-inspiring Amazon landscape, complete with free-flying birds, tropical canopy plantings, and authentic Amazonian species. Mullin was brought in to restore and install the landscape within this fully operational indoor exhibit, completing work that earned a NALP Gold Award of Excellence in 2023.
The project challenged Mullin’s crews in ways that few landscape scopes ever do, working on ladders and with rope climbers inside a live aviary, protecting open fish tanks with custom tarp systems, and coordinating with the aquarium’s husbandry team around feeding and cleaning schedules, all while delivering an environment that had to look and function like a real rainforest.
The exhibit’s indoor location within the Aquarium introduced a set of constraints that pushed well beyond standard landscape construction. Overgrown plant material, including towering vines, shrubs, and trees across three levels of planters, had to be cleared before new installation could begin. Some of this material was decades old, with some trees approaching 30 years in age.
The space remained an active aviary with free-flying birds and a functioning aquarium with large open-top fish exhibits throughout construction. Any work had to be sequenced around feeding and cleaning schedules, and protective measures, including a custom tarp system — were required to shield the fish tanks during planting operations within the faux rock walls.
Logistics were compressed by the indoor environment. Material access, crew movement, and debris removal all had to be managed within a confined space while ensuring no disruption to adjacent exhibits or the animals living within them. Animal safety was the client’s top priority, and Mullin understood and respected that from day one.
Mullin’s team developed innovative solutions for each constraint. For debris removal in overgrown upper canopy areas, crews employed rope climbing techniques to safely work at height without introducing equipment that would disturb the exhibit. A custom tarp system was designed and installed to protect open fish tanks whenever planting work occurred near or above them.
Daily work plans were developed in close collaboration with the Aquarium’s horticulture and husbandry teams, ensuring that every task was sequenced around the animals’ routines. Logistics planning addressed access, material staging, and debris removal with the same rigor typically reserved for complex outdoor construction sites, applied here inside a living, breathing exhibit space.
Planting selection focused on creating an authentic Amazonian environment. The plant list included cacao, coffee, papaya, dwarf bananas, ice cream musa, multiple Alocasia varieties, Ficus Audrey, and a range of tropical palms, ferns, and gingers, species chosen to provide canopy cover, foraging opportunity, and the visual density of a genuine rainforest interior.
The full scope covered removal of overgrown material, soil preparation, irrigation integration, and installation of all new plantings across the three-level exhibit. All work was self-performed, giving Mullin complete control over quality and coordination at every stage.
Despite the complexity, the project was completed on schedule. Close collaboration with the general contractor Broadmoor and the Aquarium’s management team allowed issues to be resolved quickly and constructively as they arose. Clear communication, consistent daily updates, and an unwavering focus on the client’s goals kept the project moving forward.
Animal safety is the top priority and Mullin understood this. Every person we interacted with was a pleasure to work with, provided transparency, regular updates, and unwavering dedication. — Landon P. Proctor, Director of Horticulture, Audubon Nature Institute
We trusted that the construction team would always be able to translate our design story to the finished project. The team represents the type of communicative collaborator that we find to be invaluable from first concept to the ribbon cutting. — Wes Michaels, Principal, Spackman Mossop Michaels (Landscape Architect)
The project would not have been successful without the help of Mullin. Their transparency, regular updates, and unwavering dedication to our satisfaction made the entire process smooth and rewarding. — Jeff Fick, Project Manager, Broadmoor (General Contractor)
The completed exhibit delivers a fully realized Amazonian environment within the Aquarium, a canopy-dense, species-rich habitat where free-flying birds move through plantings that look and function like a genuine rainforest interior. The three-level planter system is now home to a diverse collection of tropical species selected for both visual authenticity and long-term performance.
The project was recognized in 2023 with a NALP Gold Award of Excellence, one of 194 awards given nationally by the National Association of Landscape Professionals across commercial and residential landscape categories. The recognition affirmed what the project team already knew: this was landscape construction at a level few contractors are equipped to deliver.
It also deepened Mullin’s relationship with the Audubon Nature Institute, a partnership that now spans the Aquarium, Audubon Zoo’s Jaguar Jungle exhibit, and Woldenberg Riverfront Park, making Mullin one of the most trusted landscape partners across the Audubon campus.
