Austria: Vienna Zoo to Build New Aquarium House

Vienna Zoo (G.: Tiergarten Schönbrunn) plans to replace its over fifty year-old aquarium house by a new facility, which is set to be built into a slope between the zoo’s existing rainforest house and rhinoceros park, comprising five levels both subterraneous and aboveground. According to the plans from Vienna-based planning partner Pesendorfer und Machalek Architekten (Pumar), the walkway for visitors will start “under water”, passing by several aquarium tanks and leading “above the water surface” to a mangrove forest. The walkway then leads down again towards a giant shark fish and ray tank, filled with over two million litres of water.

In addition to the mangrove forest and the shark fish tank, highlights of the new aquarium house will include a large tank for sea turtles and tropical fish as well as a reef aquarium for colorful corals and starfish. The total costs for the realization of the project amount to approx. 30 million Euros, with a comparably large amount intended for the required technological equipment. The opening of the new aquarium house is scheduled for 2023. (eap)