ZOO Brno - Pavilion of Exotarium

FAST VUT - Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Department of Architecture

Project idea

The new exotarium pavilion is located in the Brno Zoo. The Brno Zoo is located in the northwestern part of the city of Brno - Bystrc. The zoo is also located near Brno Dam. Visitors can see here almost 400 species of animals. The zoo focuses mainly on ungulates, but also breeds other attractive animals such as tigers, monkeys, parrots and polar bears. This new building is designed for terrarium and aquarium expositions, for breeding exotic birds and small mammals. The proposed interior of the pavilion gives the visitor the impression of a visit to Australia - New Guinea.

Project description

It is a single-storey building of an exhibition character, which serves as an exotarium pavilion with a focus on Australia and New Guinea. Materially, the building is inspired by the architectural style of Papua New Guinea and rock formations found in the Blue Mountains in Australia. The shape is reminiscent of a sandstone rock with sharp shapes that protrude from the sloping terrain above the outdoor aviaries and visitor parterre. This main aspect of the building is enhanced by the green pitched roof and the view of the kangaroo enclosure. The roof is accessible due to the terrain elevation from the eastern visitor route. The building also contains an unroofed atrium with an aviary for Nestora kea, this atrium can also be viewed from the roof.

Technical information

The whole building is designed as a wall bearing system due to its complex shape and tectonicity of the walls. All load-bearing walls are made monolithically of reinforced concrete, the infill masonry and partitions are made of ceramic bricks of appropriate thicknesses. Installation partitions and ceilings are made of plasterboard. Perimeter walls are designed in the form of a ventilated facade with sandstone cladding. Internal walls are in the visitor corridors are unplastered with no surface treatment with a visible concrete texture with scarfing. The walls in the aquarium area are plastered and painted with black anti-reflective paint to absorb light and prevent glare. The floor of the visitor area is made in the form of a poured concrete floor. The inner aviaries are separated by solid walls but are lined with plasterboard. The individual aviaries are supplemented with artificial trees and a water feature to create a natural environment for the birds. The outdoor aviaries consist of a combination of two layers, clothing and metal mesh, square mesh is used and the fittings are hidden for the safety of the birds.

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