Polk Penguin Conservation Center at the Detroit Zoo
Detroit
RegionMidwest
体育/娱乐
项目团队
老板底特律动物学社会
Architect阿尔伯特·卡恩（Albert Kahn）协会公司
ContractorDeMaria/Wharton-Smith JV
工程师Alfred Benesch＆Co。（Tucker，Young，Jackson，Tull Inc。）和Albert Kahn Associates Inc.
ConsultantT.A. Maranda Consultants Inc.
DeMaria, the lead contractor for the world’s deepest-dive penguinarium, constructed various animal habitats for the Detroit Zoological Society over 15 years. Still, working on a deepwater facility, the firm knew from the start that it was in over its head. So, it dove into the project with a partner, Wharton-Smith, which had built various water attractions in Florida.
“It was a perfect fit,” says Darren Murray, DeMaria’s executive vice president. “We provided the relationship with the Detroit Zoo and the know-how to build through the cold winter, and Wharton-Smith provided the experience with aquatics construction,” he adds. “It was great synergy.”
这座耗资2900万美元的中心于去年4月开业，是四种物种的80多个企鹅的所在地：Gentoo，Macaroni，Rockhopper和King。凭借其326,000加仑的坦克，企鹅可以潜水至25英尺，保护中心是世界上最大的类型。坦克在内外都有防水性。为了检查泄漏，船员用水装满了24小时。
Two acrylic underwater tunnels, which collectively weigh more than 16.5 tons, provide visitors with views of penguin activities on three and even four sides.
受到欧内斯特·沙克尔顿爵士的传奇南极探险的启发，并使用仿生的外部设计，设计成类似于表格的冰山，在狭窄的缝隙中具有25英尺高的瀑布。皮肤是一个重叠的“鳞片”，绝缘和空气层的雨屏系统，其功能像企鹅的羽毛外套。
艾伦·科布（Albert Kahn Associates）的总裁兼首席执行官艾伦·科布（Alan Cobb）说，由于内部就像冰柜一样，因此必须以3D形式研究热量和损失，他称这份工作是他40年建筑学中最激动人心和最具挑战性的工作之一。Cobb说，冷藏建筑物的系统具有37°F温度的动物和人类气候舒适的气候，是一台“非常精心的机器”。
构建包含人造冰，岩层和雪地层的主题环境花了七个月。地层是通过固定钢覆盖的钢覆盖的。
Building the entire project wasn’t simple, but Murray says one of the most demanding dynamics of the job—with a site just inside the zoo’s main entrance—was providing opportunities for the public to watch the work, as if it were an exhibit. Murray calls it “interactive separation.” At the same time, the team had to keep safe the zoo’s millions of annual visitors.
该团队在鱼缸中工作，在建筑墙中创建了透明的观看泡沫（针对不同年龄段的不同高度）。此外，在占地两英亩的地点的周边，动物园有时举办了筹款活动，关闭了建筑。对于筹款活动，工人建立了一系列临时查看平台。
Thanks to the interactive separation, communication throughout the project was even more critical than on most jobs. The safety program, which included detailed logistical plans for materials deliveries, extended beyond the project to embrace the zoo staff and visitors.
动物园是使用penguinarium教育访问ors about the effects of climate change. In addition to the penguin and human life-support systems, the building has many green features. The goal is for net-zero annual water use through the reclamation and treatment of the habitat and animal-management pools, wash-down systems and the exterior splash area. Skylights allow ultraviolet light to enhance the penguins’ health.
“这是一个漂亮amazing project,” says one judge, who called the quality of the design and the challenges of construction “remarkable.”
Cobb说，经过一年的入住率，委托正在进行调试操作，但该建筑物运转良好。
Cobb补充说，企鹅之家“开放了好评如潮，并将底特律动物园成为全美十大目的地之一。”“人们来底特律只是为了看企鹅展览。”
