Stratacells at the Zoo
By Kristyn M. Levis
Sydney’s popular tourist attraction, Taronga Zoo, has added a new exciting exhibit using the Citygreen® modular Stratacell™ system.
The Lemur Forest Adventure exhibit, officially launched in November 2013 by NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell and Member for North Shore Jillian Skinner, was created to replicate the lemurs’ natural habitat on the island of Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa. The endangered species are now enjoying their new home with more than 5,000 trees and plants from Madagascar.
Michael Ryan from Landscaping By Design installed the landscape elements of the lemur enclosure including soil, mulch, plants, climbing poles, and irrigation. The project required them to demolish the existing seal ponds and build a new exhibit, which includes a forest walkthrough adventure, play area, and lemur walkthrough area. It started in September 2012 and took 12 months to complete.
The Citygreen Stratacell system was used to allow trees to be planted directly in the soft fall play area. The cells provided sufficient root zone growth and at the same time allowed the soft fall to extend over the entire section.
Because of the module’s advanced engineering design, the interconnected skeletal matrix provides over 94 per cent void space for filling with soil media, or storing/detaining storm water. Due to the high structural integrity of the modules, these matrices can be used beneath trafficked areas.
The modern and interactive exhibit is made up of a forest path and a custom-built playground with complex climbing structure that allows young visitors to mimic lemurs’ climbing behavior. The walkthrough path, which allows visitors to walk among lemurs, is set to open Easter 2014, giving animals a chance to get used to the presence of humans.
Although this is the first time that Michael used the system, he found it easy to install. He said that initially the cell structure did not fit into one side of the holes but it was easily dealt with by adjusting the layout to fit the modules.
“It fits in very well with the design. I would use it again in future projects,” Michael said. “The trees are looking good and the play area is well used.”
The Zoo was impressed with the fact that the modules were made from recycled plastic. The Stratacell modules are manufactured from 100 percent recycled polymer. As there are no steel components, the modules are corrosion free.
The world-class exhibit is part of Taronga Zoo’s award winning tourist attraction. Last year, the Zoo won Gold in the Best Attraction category at the NSW Tourism Awards.