Elephant House
Cologne
The entire elephant area at Cologne Zoo covers about 20,000 m² including the elephant house with a 3,000 m² roof. This makes it the largest elephant park north of the Alps. The new construction of the elephant house at Cologne Zoo has provided the elephants living there with a more species-appropriate herd life.
The elephant house
at a glance
A leaf roof made of solid wood
for the elephant house at Cologne Zoo
Seven umbrella constructions with diameters between 20 and 25 metres form the roof structure. Each umbrella construction consists of an internal tension ring, curved beams and an external compression ring. There are skylights in the middle of the screen constructions. The construction is supported by twelve-metre-high columns made of reinforced concrete, whose shape is reminiscent of tree trunks.
| Building project | Elephant House at Cologne Zoo |
|---|---|
| Construction | Glulam umbrella construction |
| Completion | 2004 |
| Volume of the wooden components | 263 m³ |
| Stored CO2 in the construction | 199.6 tCO2 |
| Avoided CO2 in the construction | 239.5 tCO2 |
| Building owner | Aktiengesellschaft Zoologischer Garten, Cologne |
| Architects | Oxen + Römer und Partner, Hürth, www.oxen.de |
| Structural engineering | AWD Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, Cologne, www.awd-ingenieure.info |
| Factory planning and production | DERIX-Group |
| Assembly | Holzbau Amann GmbH, Weilheim-Bannholz, www.holzbau-amann.de |
The advantages of wood
at the Elephant House Cologne
Adult elephants can exert horizontal loads of up to 15 tonnes. In order to make the elephant house stable despite these forces, the building floor plan and the reinforced concrete components were adapted accordingly.
The roof structure, on the other hand, with an enormous area of about 3,000 m², was to be designed to be as light and cost-effective as possible. This was achieved by choosing glulam as the load-bearing element.
In addition, the roof takes on the tasks of heat and cold protection through extensive greening and also retains precipitation so that it later evaporates and increases the humidity in the elephant park.
The roof structure, on the other hand, with an enormous area of about 3,000 m², was to be designed to be as light and cost-effective as possible. This was achieved by choosing glulam as the load-bearing element.
In addition, the roof takes on the tasks of heat and cold protection through extensive greening and also retains precipitation so that it later evaporates and increases the humidity in the elephant park.
Further
topics
DERIX
Find your contact person
DERIX
Premium
Exklusive services, newsletter & Co.
Register now and get exclusive access to extensive specialist content. Use our helpful digital service tools such as our X-LAM Designer and stay well informed with our newsletter.