Łódź Zoo turns modern and green with new Orientarium

Łódź Zoo is gaining a great new asset: the Łódź Zoo Orientarium. This new building and its surrounding green spaces will fill half of the zoo. Many animals will be exhibited by means of an aquarium and habitats for, among others, sea animals, monkeys and Indian elephants. Sempergreen, commissioned by Zakład Zieleni, delivered around 8,000 m² Sedum-mix blankets for the green roof of this ambitious project. The blankets didn’t have to travel far, as they came from Sempergreen’s local Polish nursery.

Orientarium: modern and green

The Orientarium is a modern project with a lot of green aspects. According to the Mayor of Łódź, Hanna Zdanowska: 

“Maybe it is still hard to imagine today, but more than half of the Orientarium will be green. (…)  The green roof of the complex is ready. And it is quite a roof, because it is the size of several football fields. It is constructed to be as self-supporting as possible and requires little maintenance. The sedum on the roof will withstand both drought and heavy rainfall. Underneath it are materials that will absorb heavy rainfall and, at higher temperatures, will release moisture by evaporation.”

Water circulation and retention with the new Orientarium

“Visitors to the Orientarium will not be able to enter the roof, because it will serve other purposes”, explains Arkadiusz Jaksa, president of the Municipal Zoological Garden.

“Firstly, it will keep the water circulating. Thus, water retention is already directly on the roof. Secondly, it will help to reduce the temperature. Much of the energy is either assimilated through photosynthesis, or it generally reduces the heat island, that is the city. Flowering plants are the third element as this is a natural nutrient, primarily for insects and wild pollinators. And this enriches the natural environment around the garden in Zdrowie.”

All greenery in the Orientarium and its surroundings will be supplied with rainwater collected in underground tanks. Furthermore, all storm installations of the company's facilities are cut off from the sewage system and all the rainwater that falls onto the zoological garden remains on the lot and is used for the zoo’s own needs.

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Space for many species of flora ...

In addition to the green roof, the building and its surroundings will be covered with vegetation, from tall to low, to all kinds of creepers that will cover the concrete walls so as to create new opportunities for the animals that live and thrive in the area.

… and, of course, fauna

The Orientarium will enjoy the presence of a lot of different inhabitants. Visitors will be able to admire all kinds of sea animals in the freshly constructed aquarium, such as sharks, rays, various fish and a coral reef. Other animals that will live there are the anoa and Mesopotamian fallow deer, clouded leopards and orangutans. And last but not least, Indian elephants.

The promising future of the Łódź Zoo Orientarium

Orientarium is the largest investment in the history of the Lodz ZOO. It will occupy half of the Łódź Zoo and is estimated to attract 2 million visitors annually. In addition to the main building, modern pavilions, catwalks and aviaries will be built. The whole will be supplemented with recreational and catering facilities. Ultimately, Orientarium Łódź is to cover an area of ​​2 ha, with 5.5 ha of animal runs. The Orientarium building itself will consist of an entrance and conference part and a part for animals.

Visit the Orientarium in 2021

But when will we all be able to visit this exciting new building? As to that, we need to have a little bit more patience. The Orientarium should be ready at the end of 2020 and visitors will be able to enter enjoy the new attraction starting mid-2021.

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