Sao Paulo Aquarium welcomes first polar bears to Brazil in US$5m expansion
POSTED 21 Apr 2015 . BY Tom Anstey
The polar bears underwent an acclimatisation period before being put on public display Credit: Flickr.com/Arnaldo
The largest aquarium in Latin America has welcomed Brazil’s first polar bears as the stars of its R$15m (US$5m, €4.6m, £3.3m) expansion.
The two Russian polar bears are the premier attraction in Sao Paulo Aquarium’s new mammal wing, with the pair going on display for the first time on 16 April. The four and five-year-old bears have been introduced to a specially climatised area, which covers 1,500sq m (16,000sq ft) and will continuously remain at temperatures between -5ºC and -15ºC (-49ºF and -59ºF).
The two bears had previously been housed at Kazan Zoo in Russia, but had insufficient space to allow proper development. Negotiations had been ongoing between Sao Paulo Aquarium and Kazan Zoo for the past two years, with a deal being agreed at US$22,000 (€20,000, £14,600) for the pair. The bears have been in the country since the start of the year, undergoing a four-month acclimatisation period in Brazil before going on public display.
The polar bears are the centerpiece of the new mammal enclosure, which also features lemurs, meerkats, wallabies and wombats, with the aquarium's vets and biologists being given training abroad to handle the new species.
Set designer Lee Oliveira worked on the the design of the enclosures, combining with biologists to create bespoke environments that matched the needs of each animal, also theming them for visitors.
With an area of 9,000sq m (97,000sq ft) and 2 million litres of water, Sao Paulo Aquarium welcomes 30,000 visitors a month and holds around 3,000 animals across 300 species. The aquarium has twice expanded since its opening in 2006, with previous additions including its shark oceanarium and aquatic mammals wing.
PROJECT PROFILE: Sao Paulo Aquarium The largest aquarium in Latin America has welcomed Brazil’s first polar bears as the stars
of its R$15m (US$5m, €4.6m, £3.3m) expansion.
SFO-based EHDD Architects complete Toledo Zoo aquarium's US$25m redevelopment POSTED 27 Mar 2015. BY Tom Anstey Ohio’s Toledo Zoo has reopened its aquarium following a near three-year, US$25m
(€21.5m, £16.4m) renovation, which has seen the interior of the historic facility
revamped to provide a brand new, world-class visitor experience.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
Sao Paulo Aquarium welcomes first polar bears to Brazil in US$5m expansion
POSTED 21 Apr 2015 . BY Tom Anstey
The polar bears underwent an acclimatisation period before being put on public display Credit: Flickr.com/Arnaldo
The largest aquarium in Latin America has welcomed Brazil’s first polar bears as the stars of its R$15m (US$5m, €4.6m, £3.3m) expansion.
The two Russian polar bears are the premier attraction in Sao Paulo Aquarium’s new mammal wing, with the pair going on display for the first time on 16 April. The four and five-year-old bears have been introduced to a specially climatised area, which covers 1,500sq m (16,000sq ft) and will continuously remain at temperatures between -5ºC and -15ºC (-49ºF and -59ºF).
The two bears had previously been housed at Kazan Zoo in Russia, but had insufficient space to allow proper development. Negotiations had been ongoing between Sao Paulo Aquarium and Kazan Zoo for the past two years, with a deal being agreed at US$22,000 (€20,000, £14,600) for the pair. The bears have been in the country since the start of the year, undergoing a four-month acclimatisation period in Brazil before going on public display.
The polar bears are the centerpiece of the new mammal enclosure, which also features lemurs, meerkats, wallabies and wombats, with the aquarium's vets and biologists being given training abroad to handle the new species.
Set designer Lee Oliveira worked on the the design of the enclosures, combining with biologists to create bespoke environments that matched the needs of each animal, also theming them for visitors.
With an area of 9,000sq m (97,000sq ft) and 2 million litres of water, Sao Paulo Aquarium welcomes 30,000 visitors a month and holds around 3,000 animals across 300 species. The aquarium has twice expanded since its opening in 2006, with previous additions including its shark oceanarium and aquatic mammals wing.
SFO-based EHDD Architects complete Toledo Zoo aquarium's US$25m redevelopment POSTED 27 Mar 2015. BY Tom Anstey Ohio’s Toledo Zoo has reopened its aquarium following a near three-year, US$25m
(€21.5m, £16.4m) renovation, which has seen the interior of the historic facility
revamped to provide a brand new, world-class visitor experience.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
