MSC Foundation and MSC Cruises Partner With Storyland Studios to Design Pavilion at Marine Conservation Center

In September 2025, MSC Cruises and the MSC Foundation named Storyland Studios as the design partner for a new signature building for the Marine Conservation Center at Ocean Cay in The Bahamas.

Inaugurated in April 2025, the MSC Foundation’s Marine Conservation Center serves as a hub for research, education and visitor engagement. The facility, which welcomes scientists, biologists and students, includes interactive pavilions, a lecture hall, a bio lab and a land-based coral nursery. Through the Center, visitors can learn why marine ecosystems matter and why coral reefs need urgent protection.

Under the new partnership, Storyland Studios will use its design capabilities to create an engaging experience that makes complex scientific research accessible and compelling for visitors, donors and partners and inspires them to be involved in marine conservation. Once complete, the new pavilion is expected to elevate the visitor experience while strengthening the center’s role as a global hub for the MSC Foundation’s mission to protect and nurture the blue planet.

Sean Featonby, Director of Business Development at Storyland Studios, stated: “We are deeply aligned with the MSC Foundation’s vision to restore the balance between people and nature. This isn’t just about building a facility; it’s about designing a beacon for ocean stewardship. Our goal is to create a space that emotionally connects every visitor to the urgency and beauty of marine conservation, empowering them to become advocates for our planet’s future.” 

Pierfrancesco Vago, Chair of the Executive Committee of the MSC Foundation, said: “This is the continuation of our multigenerational commitment to ocean conservation and we are glad to partner with Storyland Studios. We warmly acknowledge Storyland Studios’ generosity in designing this signature pavilion for us. Their creativity and dedication will enhance the Marine Conservation Center’s role as an educational hub, inviting tens of thousands of Ocean Cay visitors each year to discover, learn and engage with corals, while deepening their awareness of the urgency of coral conservation worldwide.” 

Part of the scientific work behind the planned pavilion is the MSC Foundation’s Super Coral Reefs Programme, which supports coral research and restoration at Ocean Cay.

The programme builds on MSC Cruises’ multi-year restoration of Ocean Cay’s marine ecosystem, which began with the redevelopment of the former sand-mining site. Today, the 64 square miles of waters surrounding the island are thriving and the opening of the Marine Conservation Center gives the MSC Foundation a stronger platform from which to expand its conservation efforts.

The programme began taking shape in 2020 when the MSC Foundation started working with the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University, initially via Florida-based graduate internships in marine science. Since 2022, the Foundation’s research through the Super Coral Reefs Programme has focused on identifying resilient coral species at Ocean Cay and propagating them for reef restoration, with particular attention on the critically endangered elkhorn coral. This work is carried out in line with the parameters of permits issued by the Bahamas Department of Environmental Planning and Protection.

Key achievements of the Super Coral Reefs Programme include:

• Identifying high thermal resilience in certain genetic populations of coral, with a focus on the critically endangered elkhorn coral.
• Developing methods to grow corals in open-water nurseries.
• A successful beginning to the outplanting of resilient corals, with a goal to increase outplanting capacity to 6,000 corals annually in the coming years.
• Achieving a 100% survival rate for nursery-grown corals during the unprecedented marine heatwave in the summer of 2023.

As the programme develops, its research and restoration work gives the Marine Conservation Center a practical conservation story to share alongside its educational role. The planned pavilion will help turn that work into a more immersive visitor experience, inviting guests to discover, learn and take a closer look at the wider conservation effort taking shape at Ocean Cay. 

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