Discovery World is a 120,000-square-foot aquatics museum and aquarium overlooking Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee. The complex includes a rectangular Science Building with exhibits connected to a circular Aquarium with saltwater and freshwater tanks. Jutting over the lake, Discovery World's low massing reflects the shoreline's horizontal proportions. The facility seemingly floats atop a transparent glass base that is deeply recessed below the cantilevered second floor. Discovery World's educational mission focusing on the Great Lakes environment inspired the architecture.