Photos by Braden Farmer for @U2

As we previously reported back in April, U2's iconic 360 Tour stage, seen by millions of concertgoers and nicknamed "The Claw" by fans, has been purchased by the Utah-based Loveland Living Planet Aquarium and will be used as the centerpiece of their Science Learning Campus expansion project. The stage, now renamed EECO (for "Ecosystem Exploration Craft & Observatory"), will permanently change the face of the south end of Utah's Salt Lake Valley, towering sixteen stories in the air adjacent to the heavily-used Interstate 15.

The aquarium has spent the summer assembling the stage, taking care to ensure the structure is engineered well enough to handle Utah's snow loads and other harsh weather conditions. Soon, the structure will rise into the air to its fully assembled height, although the exact date is unknown as wind conditions play a large factor on exactly when the structure can rise into the air. The plaza surrounding the structure will be fully completed in November, with a lighting ceremony to take place around that time. A grand opening is currently being considered for next spring.

Last week, atU2 had the chance to interview Brent Andersen, the CEO of Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, in person to talk about his vision of the Science Learning Campus, the new role that the Claw will play as EECO, and also a little bit about U2 and his experience seeing the 360 Tour and the Claw for the first time.

atU2: What inspired you to expand the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium to become "much more than an aquarium" with the Science Learning Campus?

Brent Andersen: That was actually the plan from the very beginning. The initial concept for the aquarium was to actually build several aquariums in different cities, and also create a research ship, and to theme the aquariums so that they were showcasing ecosystems. Many aquariums showcase a particular area or region - Monterey Bay does Monterey Bay, Long Beach Aquarium does the Pacific. So I didn't want to limit it to just one area, because the way that I learned about how the world’s ecosystems work means showing them all as one collective - freshwater, marine, rainforest, Antarctic - to show how they work, show how they function, show the animals that live there, and then get people to understand it's actually just one interconnected global ecosystem, the Living Planet.

What I didn't know is the exact scope back then, but I knew I could create a sort of campus with different areas and activities, so that we could broaden our reach. Our visitors represent a wide segment of the population already, and the different types of things that we can include in our campus that relate to our mission opened that up to an even broader segment of the population. Whether it's teenagers, grandparents, family, kids, field trips, et cetera, there is something for everyone.

In late 2011, I was working on that campus idea and had most of it designed, and that's when I read the article that U2 had a concept that they wanted to leave the 360 stage behind to become a venue. I thought, "Oh, that would be great as part of the campus." I started working on how the massive structure might fit here. But then I had to quickly pivot to focus on fundraising, getting this building (the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium) built. So I just left it alone.

Then fast forward to 2016, I was refining the now Science Learning Campus plan and I had the Science Learning Center building designed, and then I saw a picture of the 360 tour, and remembered, "Oh that's right! I was going see if the stage was still available.” So I found a model of it as a SketchUp file, I took it and I put it over the site plan, and it just fit perfectly. I couldn't believe it. I didn't even have to move anything.

atU2: How did the name EECO [pronounced like "eco"] come about? And what inspired the name, "Ecosystem Exploration Craft and Observatory?"

Brent Andersen: The naming of it was part of figuring out how to make the structure and what it was - U2’s famous 360 stage - able to still function as a stage, and at the same time tie it to the Living Planet’s mission. That name emanated from the overall concept of using the structure as a “vehicle” to deliver education about our planet. If you envision the structure and the circular stage - that circular stage is in our plan is not just the stage, it's the roof of a building that goes underground. Inside that building, it will be themed as a futuristic starship bridge, and will in fact be a VR experience that takes people on mixed reality ecological discovery missions around the world. That tied in, was very functional to our mission and is a gesture back to when the band members referred to the stage as their spaceship. Now it will be a virtual spaceship to teach people about how our planet works.