Floor-to-ceiling double glazing and sliding doors from Alspec were installed across the Taronga Zoo Wildlife Retreat complex to provide guests an immersive experience.
Located in Sydney, NSW, the Wildlife Retreat at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo is part of an overnight experience, where guests can stay in accommodation pods, surrounded by native wildlife including platypus, wallabies, koalas, gliders, wombats, bandicoots, cockatoos and corroboree frogs. The complex comprises of five accommodation pods providing 62 rooms, a standalone guest lodge as well as kitchen and dining facilities linked to the existing conference centre.
Guests at the retreat get an immersive zoo experience, with windows and balconies looking out across the habitat, as well as a walk-through aviary, sanctuary exhibit and raised walkways across the native landscape.
Designed by COX Architecture with sustainability features that target a 5-Star Green Star rating, the retreat complex relies on a range of Alspec products such as high performance floor-to-ceiling glazing and sliding doors to deliver the immersive experience.
On the façades, Hunter Evo 150mm double glazed flush framing was used to construct the interfaces between guests and the habitat. The Hunter framing can accommodate up to 40mm double glazing and is perfect for the gently curved and faceted façades, such as those featured in the dining and kitchen extension.
Guests can access their balconies through ProGlide high performance sliding doors – a range of double glazed doors that easily meet the thermal and acoustic needs of the building while also providing excellent weather performance. Both the framing and doors feature Zeus matt black finish, which was selected to complement the wood-accents of the buildings and the surrounding native flora.
Breezway louvres have also been installed in the building, further contributing to the energy performance by maximising natural cooling and ventilation; the specially designed seals ensure protection from the elements, along with being energy efficient.
