Giraffe house at Zoo Schönbrunn

by Michaela Fink
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2021-04-01 14:02:56
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International
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2680 / EN

Heritage renovation

Building Type : Other building
Construction Year : 2015
Delivery year : 2017
Address 1 - street : Maxingstraße 13b 1130 VIENNA, Austria
Climate zone : [Dfb] Humid Continental Mild Summer, Wet All Year

Net Floor Area : 440 m² Other
Construction/refurbishment cost : 7 000 000 €
Cost/m2 : 15909.09 €/m²

Proposed by :

Primary energy need :
42 kWhpe/m².year
(Calculation method : Other )

Energy consumption

Economical buildingBuilding

< 50A

51 à 90B

91 à 150C

151 à 230D

231 à 330E

331 à 450F

> 450G

Energy-intensive building

Renovating the giraffe house at the world's oldest zoo - UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site

From 2015 to 2017, extensive renovations took place at Schönbrunn Zoo’s Giraffe House (located in Vienna, Austria), which was originally built in 1828. The old building was gutted, refurbished, and rebuilt, with a large number of innovative measures. This includes the installation of glass-integrated photovoltaics as well as the installation of photovoltaic panels on the flat roof of the visitor entrance. Furthermore, the intermediate storage of thermal energy now takes place in a gravel store. The new indoor area for the giraffes was connected as a winter garden-like building with a photovoltaic roof with modules from ertex solar.

The conservatory is a steel/glass construction. The roof is supported by a substructure that is modeled on a look-a-like umbrella acacia, a typical tree in the habitat of giraffes. Towards the top, the trunk branches out into a total of around 237m² of glass surfaces, in which the photovoltaic cells are distributed and act as insulation from outside temperatures and as a source of shade.

Behind the entire construction is a comprehensive concept, which saves about 8,287kg of CO2 annually and generates about 20,000 kWh of electricity, 100% of which is used to run the zoo. With the glass-integrated photovoltaics (16 kWp) and the flat panels (4 kWp), a total of 20 kWp is available, so that 18,000 - 20,000 kWh of electricity can be produced per year. A 62m³ gravel tank was also installed under the conservatory. With a filling of 122t marble quarry, it is used to dissipate heat on very hot days and to heat on very cool days. With the help of the gravel tank as buffer storage, about 17,000 kWh of heating energy is saved annually by district heating.

See more details about this project

https://www.zoovienna.at/anlagen/giraffenpark/
https://www.zoovienna.at/unterstuetzen/das-wird-die-neue-giraffenanlage/

Data reliability

Self-declared

Photo credit

ertex solartechnik GmbH

Contractor

Name : Schönbrunner Tiergarten GmbH

Construction Manager

Name : Burghauptmannschaft Österreich

Stakeholders

Function : Designer

Function : Company

Function : Contractor

Owner approach of sustainability

The aim of the latest addition and conversion to the giraffe house at Schönbrunn Zoo was to create an area from which both humans and animals can benefit. However, the requirements of monument protection as well as animal husbandry often leave little room for energy-saving measures. The greatest challenge in the restoration was thus to combine the aspects of monument preservation with the desire for renewable energy and create a space tailored to the needs of the shy mammals. In the end, the decision was made to install a glass-integrated photovoltaic system and heat storage in a gravel reservoir. Always taking into account that the building image is not disturbed from the centrally located imperial pavilion, a winter garden with insulating glass roofing from integrated photovoltaics was added to the back of the giraffe house. This is the centerpiece of the renovation. The warmth-loving giraffes spend more time indoors during the cold season, therefore the covered space had to be enlarged.

Architectural description

The greatest challenge in the restoration of the giraffe house at Schönbrunn Zoo was the combination of the regulations regarding monument preservation, the desire for renewable energy and creating an excellent living environment for the giraffes. Even though the baroque structure and monument regulations had to be taken into consideration, the project was able to integrate some innovative measures.

Building users opinion

The giraffes are liking their new environment very much and visitors from all around the world are enjoying their visit at the giraffe house in Zoo Schönbrunn.

Energy consumption

Primary energy need : 42,00 kWhpe/m².year
Primary energy need for standard building : 1,00 kWhpe/m².year

Calculation method : Other

CEEB : -0

Systems

Heating system :

Others
Electric radiator
Electric heater
Electric floor heating

Hot water system :

Other hot water system

Cooling system :

Others

Ventilation system :

Natural ventilation

Renewable systems :

Solar photovoltaic

For heating purposes, a gravel tank was built.

Product

Product category : Finishing work / Electrical systems - Low and high current

The installed panels are custom-made insulated glass-glass modules from the Austrian company ertex solar. The whole outside roof area of the giraffe home has been clad with the panels, which amounts to a total of 237m² glass surface. The solar cells with an individual size of 125 x 125 mm have been arranged individually by ertex solar inside the glass panels. With a range of two to sixty-three solar cells per module, this results in a variable degree of transparency between 41 and 91 %. In this way the leaves of an umbrella acacia can be simulated – with an additional view of the real sky.

Construction and exploitation costs

Total cost of the building : 7 000 000 €

Additional information on costs :

Other information relating to costs are not available to ertex solar.

Urban environment

Zoo Schönbrunn is trying to become sustainable and energy-efficient in all their animal housings and buildings. These principles are written down in their own environment policy. Since 2015 the Zoo is certified according to ISO 14001.

The Zoo is conscious of their responsibility for animals, humans and nature, therefore there is a whole environment team working at the Zoo. An important focus of their environmentally conscious activities is the area of energy management. For animals from tropical to polar climates, heating, cooling and water treatment are often very expensive. Through the use of new technologies, alternative concepts and constant monitoring, the Zoo keeps the required energy and raw material input as low as possible.

When procuring feed and feed materials, priority is given to organic products and products of regional origin when possible. This environmental philosophy of the zoo can also be found in the gastronomic offer. Organic products are used as much as possible in the kitchens of the Zoo restaurants.

Waste avoidance and waste separation are a matter of course internally, but the Zoo also tries to make it easier for zoo visitors to follow these principles.

A dedicated team ensures environmental compatibility in all construction projects in planning, construction, and operation and will push for the corresponding implementation.

The Giraffe house has been awarded with the environmental award of Vienna in 2016.

Building Environmental Quality

energy efficiency
renewable energies
products and materials

Reasons for participating in the competition(s)

The estimated electricity consumption of the zoo is approx. 18,700 kWh per year. With the glass-integrated photovoltaic (16 kWp) and the flat panels (4 kWp), a total of 20 kWp is available, enabling 18,000 – 20,000 kWh of electricity to be generated per year. By using a gravel storage tank as a buffer tank for the heating of the conservatory a minimum of 17,000 kWh of heating energy can be saved. In total, CO2 emissions are increased by approx. 8,287 kg of CO2 per year during the operation of the new giraffe home.