The Georgia Aquarium has broken ground on its $100 million, 104,100-square-foot expansion that will feature an "interactive and immersive" shark exhibit.

The Expansion 2020 general contractor is Birmingham, Alabama-based Brasfield & Gorrie, which has a longstanding relationship with the aquarium.

Dignitaries on hand for the groundbreaking Tuesday included Georgia Aquarium CEO Mike Leven, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Georgia Aquarium Benefactor Bernie Marcus and Georgia Aquarium President and Chief Operating Officer Joseph Handy.

The project will add a new four-story structure that will house the 1-million-gallon shark exhibit and complement the existing building’s boat façade.

The new exhibit will include expansive acrylic viewing areas and a number of animal interactions, which allow guests to get even closer to some of the animals. Details of the interaction opportunities were not released Tuesday.

In addition to the new exhibit, the expansion will include a new entrance and exit, office spaces, retail spaces, loading dock, and new ticketing services.

Brasfield & Gorrie did the aquarium's original construction as well as multiple expansions, including the ballroom renovation, the dolphin expansion, multiple marine life holding projects, the sea lion exhibit and the café renovation.

“Since breaking ground on the original Georgia Aquarium project in 2003, we have been fortunate enough to continue our work on the Georgia Aquarium campus and strengthen our relationship with this valued client. We look forward to bringing the Expansion 2020 project vision to reality,” said Brasfield & Gorrie Senior Project Manager Mark Crump.

“This will be one of our largest exhibits and one of the largest expansions we’ve done in our history,” said Georgia Aquarium President and COO Joe Handy. “We’re thrilled to be offering a grand new entrance that introduces our visitors to the wonder and awe of the Aquarium, and to bring them closer to one of the most important species of the world’s ocean.”

Brasfield & Gorrie is collaborating with PGAV (Peckham, Guyton, Alberts & Viets) Architects on the Expansion 2020 project. It is slated to be completed in late 2020.

Founded in 1964, Brasfield & Gorrie is one of the nation’s largest privately held construction firms, providing general contracting, design-build, and construction management services. It has 12 offices, including ones in Kennesaw and Columbus in Georgia, and approximately 3,000 employees, and its 2017 revenues were $2.8 billion.