The new orangutan house in Dresden Zoo will not open in autumn as previously planned. Instead, the visitors no earlier than March 2024 Have access to the new house for great apes. The reason given by the zoo was that building materials were difficult to obtain. The construction site did not progress as well as originally planned last winter either, says site manager Steffen Thombansen. At the topping-out ceremony, the zoo management was still expecting completion in November 2023.
Previously, the largest construction project in the history of the Dresden zoo had also caused financial problems. Additional costs of three million euros drove up the total construction costs to currently 20 million euros. As the Dresden Zoo reports on its website, donations of 1.5 million euros were collected from zoo fans and sponsors at the same time.
Unheated construction site stopped some work in winter
In the past Winter the zoo decided with the city of Dresden not to temporarily heat the building shell. This saved up to 80,000 liters of heating oil worth 100,000 euros. At the same time, some work on the upper floors could not be continued due to the temperature, says the site manager MDR SACHSEN, citing another reason for the delay in construction.
Otters also move into the orangutan house
However, the structural work of the visitor path, the water basin for the otters and the foundations for the climbing trees and the pylons have been completed. After Pentecost According to the zoo management, the assembly of the stainless steel net begins on the five distinctive, free-standing pylons, which are up to 11.50 meters high, for what will later be the outdoor enclosure. The roof is currently being sealed and insulated. The round skylights have already been installed.