Pavilion of Exoterium, ZOO Brno

Project idea

The proposal for the reconstruction of the pavilion of Exoterium in the Brno Zoo is based on the original shape and location of the building, whose supporting elements it continues to use, but significantly expands the entire building and changes its operation from the ground up. Operationally, the area for visitors is strictly separated from the area for breeders in the pavilion, so the individual operations do not interfere with each other, unlike the current situation. Compared to the existing building, the proposal uses the vestibule in front of the building more significantly thanks to the relocation of the main entrance. The interior of the pavilion is conceived as a set of diverse spaces that take the visitor through the wilderness of Australia and Papua New Guinea. During the visit, one finds oneself first in an aboriginal hut, from which one enters the Australian savannah, an underwater cave and finally the tropical rainforest of Papua New Guinea. The proposal envisages the placement of two-level aviaries with the possibility of horizontal division and a view from the walkable roof. The pavilion is designed with regard to the comfort of visitors, breeders and especially all animals according to the trends of modern ZOOs and WELFARE.

Project description

The original building is located in the center of the Brno Zoological Garden area, at a crossroads frequented by visitors. Today, there is a large paved area in front of the pavilion with a view of the aviaries. The use of this area is changed in the proposal by moving the main entrance from the sides of the pavilion to its center. A gathering vestibule of the entrance is thus created on the existing surface. The extension of the pavilion expands its mass to the northeast into the space in which there are now leafy trees and a children's playground. The greater part of this space remains preserved. In the back area, a ramp climbs through the forest to access a walkable roof with a seasonal fruit bar with access to the pavilion. The redevelopment of the pavilion combines architectural elements of traditional Australian and Papua New Guinean architecture with modern architectural principles. The main entrance and the whole area of the 2nd floor, as well as the solitary object of the fruit bar on the roof, is meant to imitate a traditional Tambaran house. The interior is conceived as an abstraction of wild nature. Raw heavy materials such as concrete, stone, metal and wood were used here. The pavilion is divided into individual thematic parts, each of which is conceived as a separate art space with a different purpose. Operationally, the facility is basically divided into a section for visitors, for caregivers and for kept animals. In the proposal, care is taken to ensure that individual operations do not interfere with each other. The space for visitors is divided into an entrance hall, a dry australian part, a projection area, an underwater cave and a dry part. The visitor passes through these spaces in this order and finally finds himself back in the entrance hall. It sounds like it is possible to get to the educational space on the 2nd floor and to the walkable roof with the fruit bar. The nurse's quarters have a separate entrance on the south side of the pavilion. There is a facility with a dressing room, shower, toilet and kitchen. Furthermore, a feed preparation room, service corridors behind the aviaries and technical facilities of the pavilion. The spaces for the animals are designed as an indoor aviary connected by retractable chutes at floor level and above the service corridor with the outdoor aviary. The outdoor aviary is designed as a two-story with the possibility of a horizontal partition.

Technical information

The building is designed as a combination of the original load-bearing walls and a newly designed reinforced concrete wall system. The ceilings are new from monolithic reinforced concrete. The foundations are designed as foundation belts under load-bearing walls. The construction of the open truss above the first floor and above the roof bar is designed in wooden rafters reinforced with steel strips in the ridge. the covering layer consists of thatch made of palm leaves for insurance waterproofing from the asphalt strip. The aviaries are designed as a steel frame with mesh, into which glass surfaces are embedded.