Building starts on the new orang-utan house

Animal news | 23 July 2021

Things are moving at long last. After almost two years’ planning, we are starting the construction phase of our new orang-utan house. Zoo director Karl-Heinz Ukena and zoo board chairman Detlef Sittel, who is also mayor of Dresden, invited guests to the Zoo today and together with architect Jens Krauße from architectural firm Heinle, Wischer und Partner presented the building project and construction schedule. Site clearance and facilities development commenced on 19 July. Soil excavation works are due to start at the end of September, and the basement and roof should be finished by the end of the year. Construction is due to take around 26 months, and it is planned that the new orang-utan house will be completed by autumn 2023.

With a projected construction cost of some EUR 17 million, the new building is the largest building project ever undertaken in the Zoo’s 160-year history. The new building could not have gone ahead without Dresden City Council’s approval of the funding plan, which was agreed in May this year. Zoo director Karl-Heinz Ukena once again expressed his sincere thanks for this at today’s press event. Detlef Sittel added that although a great deal of money is being spent on the new orang-utan building, the project has the support of a large number of Dresden residents, as evidenced amongst other things by their generous donations. Over EUR 550,000 has already been donated to the project. Detlef Sittel also emphasised that investing in the Zoo is also investing in the region, as many regional firms are involved with planning and delivering the construction phase, thus safeguarding jobs on an ongoing basis.

Further information about the construction project.