The Oceanarium, the first in Poland, the biggest in Europe and the only one in the world devoted to Africa, has just been opened in Wrocław. The annual number of visitors is estimated at 3 million. For the architects, designers and building contractors it was technologically and logistically the most difficult
project which they have ever been challenged with so far. The adventure began with winning the international competition for developing an architectural concept and layout of the Complex of Vivifying Waters of Africa -
Africarium-Oceanarium in Wrocław.The design includes a shallow reservoir situated along the entrance façade, where the water reflects the black and slightly undulating wall. The entrance faces the eastern path running along the arcade with an illuminated glass mosaic displaying the name of the Africarium written in the African pictographic script. The concept of the Africarium building is based on a clear principle of grouping the halls housing five African biotopes with their collections of animals around a multi-functional lobby with a conference hall and educational pavilions, which are like rocks stuck in
the African marshland. From the south an open outdoor water reservoir is situated with the pens for brown fur seals and penguins, which may be seen both from the outside and from the deck of a building resembling a ship
rammed into the object’s main volume. The principle of immersing the visitors in the natural environments of the Nile, the Red Sea, the Mozambique Channel, the coast of Namibia and the jungles of Congo is implemented inside the object, whose total capacity is 184,000 m3, housing the animals of the savannah, rainforest, lakes, rivers and oceans. Each biotope is recreated with its unique temperature and humidity reaching 90%. This entailed enormous problems in terms of the physics of building constructions, which the designers and contractors representing all branches had to solve. Every reservoir with animals requires water of unique composition; the whole object contains ca. 16 million litres of water, which is constantly being changed. Under the building of the total surface of 9000 m2 there is a water purification and preparation plant combined with the life support system.
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