A huge 200,000sq ft (18,580sq m) aquarium will open in late 2015 as part of a US$175m (€128m, £103m) entertainment complex in Arizona, US, with work to start in August later this year.

A part of the Odysea in the Desert leisure complex, OdySea Aquarium will cover 16 acres of land and will sit over two floors, accommodating up to 15,000 visitors daily and creating around 250 permanent jobs.

The development will be located on tribal land next door to the Butterfly World attraction – also owned by the aquarium’s developers.

Arizona-based Deutsch Architecture Group is designing the aquarium and the remaining phases of the project. McCarthy Building Companies will carry out construction work on the development.

Once open, visitors to the facility will be able to travel up and down escalators inside transparent acrylic tubes and slides, allowing them to view the marine life as they travel from floor to floor.

The unique aquarium will even include bathroom fittings to allow a view of the aquarium’s shark tanks through the counters and sinks.

A temporary OdySea Aquarium Visitor Center and showroom has opened next to Butterfly Wonderland for visitors to get a glimpse of the project as part of pre-construction efforts.

According to the aquarium’s CEO Armram Knishinsky, while the aquarium will feature thousands of different species of sea life, the aquarium will have “one of the largest selections of sharks in the country.”

When complete, Odysea in the Desert will be the largest entertainment complex in Arizona and will feature – in its next stage of development – a retail and restaurant complex, Imax Theater and a Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum. Odysea in the Desert’s owners are also in discussions with an unnamed major international brand to open an interactive family attraction to be announced soon.