Lion Enclosure at Łódź Zoo - Building the Orientarium

At the beginning of April, we started the first work connected with the construction of a new exhibition facility presenting the ecosystems of the Asian continent - the Orientarium at Łódź Zoo.

Commissioned by the general contractor, Mosty Łódź, we created artificial rocks for the Asian lion enclosure. The concept involved cladding the exit from the lions' cave, where the animal holding cages are located, with artificial rock. The rock forms we built are large boulders surrounding the entrance to the den. The boulders themselves sit in a slight depression within the enclosure.

It is worth emphasizing that the element that drew the greatest interest from both the general contractor and the zoo representatives was the artificial tree trunk, whose natural look became the central point of the entire enclosure. The trunk was built so that the lions could enter it and shelter from the sun. The level of sculpting in the artificial bark and exposed wood was chosen so that all nuances and details would be visible even from a distance.

Real railway cars were also placed in the enclosure. Visitors will be able to enter them and safely observe the lions through glass panels installed in the carriage walls. An artificial rock was added to one of the cars, giving the composition a slightly more dramatic character.

We completed all decorative work in 20 days. This can be considered a very satisfying pace, especially as the project overlapped with every possible day off, the long May weekends and the Easter holidays.