World's Largest Penguin Playground Opens In Detroit

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ROYAL OAK, MI – After months of anticipation, the Polk Penguin Conservation Center — the largest indoor habitat for penguins in the world — has finally opened at the Detroit Zoo.

More than 80 of the aquatic birds are settling into the 33,000-square-foot, $30 million conservation center located on two acres of land near the zoo’s front entrance. The sprawling residence boasts an open floor plan, soaring ceilings, expansive windows that bathe the space in natural light and a 326,000-gallon chilled aquatic area that gives the penguins 10 times the amount of swimming area they had in their former habitat, the Penguinarium.

Not only do the penguins have plenty of room to zoom, swim and dive, zoo visitors will be able to get a nose-to-beak view of the charismatic birds through a vast acrylic window and two acrylic tunnels that provide spectacular views above, around and below.

Related

• Detroit Zoo Members Get Special Access to Penguin Center

Species represented at the Polk Conservation Center include king, gentoo, macaroni and rockhopper.

While the facility provides a remarkable experience for people, the penguin habitat itself is designed to ensure an optimal atmosphere for the welfare of the birds. Their air temperature is set to a near-freezing 37 degrees Fahrenheit and the water at 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and the environment is intended to encourage wild behavior, from diving and porpoising to nesting and rearing young.

“The penguins are adapting well to their new home and appear to be discovering their many new opportunities for deep diving, porpoising and even sliding in snow,” Ron Kagan, executive director and CEO of the Detroit Zoological Society, said in a statement. “We have created a penguin environment centered on conservation that offers an extraordinary and authentic experience for our guests.”

The design of the Polk Penguin Conservation Center was inspired by the harsh but majestic ice world of Antarctica, which included the design team traveling to the southernmost continent and observing tens of thousands of penguins in the wild. The building’s exterior resembles a towering tabular iceberg with a crevasse and waterfall.

Polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary Antarctic expedition and epic crossing of the Drake Passage influenced an immersive entry experience where guests descend a series of ramps — as if aboard Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance — surrounded by 4-D effects, including blasts of polar air and sea mist.

A unique video and sound feature called projection mapping depicts iceberg calving – one of nature’s most dramatic visual and aural spectacles where icebergs split and send massive cascades of ice crashing into the sea.

Before exiting the building, guests can find gifts, toys, T-shirts, books, coffee mugs and other penguin-themed items at the Drake Passage Gift Shop.

An outdoor plaza sits at the base of a 25-foot waterfall cascading from the building’s roof — simulating a cracking and melting iceberg — and includes a large window that provides a vista into the penguins’ habitat.

The plaza features a 1,400-square-foot fountain with 32 jets over an outline of Antarctica and surrounding oceans. The fountain area will be converted into an 1,100-square-foot skating rink in the winter months.

The Polk Penguin Conservation Center was designed by Jones & Jones, architects of the Detroit Zoo’s Arctic Ring of Life and National Amphibian Conservation Center, and by Albert Kahn Associates, architects of the Zoo’s Ruth Roby Glancy Animal Health Complex. World-renowned polar ecologist and penguin expert Dr. Bill Fraser, director of the Polar Oceans Research Group, was a key consultant on the project.

The penguin center is named for the Polk family, led by longtime Detroit Zoo supporters Bobbi and Stephen. Their $10-million gift from the Polk Family Fund represents the largest gift in the Zoo’s 88-year history.

The Polk Penguin Conservation Center is free with Detroit Zoo admission; however, to ensure an enjoyable experience for all guests, timed-entry passes are required – available on a first-come, first-served basis at admissions.

While they wait to check out the penguins’ new home, guests can check out an exhibition of historical photographs from Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition at the Wildlife Interpretive Gallery.

About the Penguins

The Polk Penguin Conservation Center is home to more than 80 penguins of four species.

King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)

Vivid orange feathers on the king’s head and upper chest distinguish it from other penguin species. It is the second-largest penguin, after the emperor.

Size: 2-3 feet tall

Weight: 20-30 pounds

Diet: Mainly fish; some squid

Reproduction: Males and females “dance” – they stand tall, trumpet and then bow to each other to start the courtship ritual. Once a mate has been selected, they mate for life. The male incubates the egg for approximately 54 days under a pouch of belly skin – called a brood pouch – that keeps it at the penguin’s internal body temperature.

Lifespan: 15-20 years (wild); 20-30 years (captivity)

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Fun Facts:

• The king penguin has a special gland that filters salt from the water.
• It can dive to great depths and its eyes are adapted to seeing underwater; a powerful lens results in shortsightedness on land.

Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua)

The gentoo is recognized by the white stripe extending across its head and its bright red-orange bill. It has paddle-shaped, peach-colored feet and fine feathers that help it glide easily and quickly through the water. It is the third-largest penguin, after the king and emperor.

Size: 20-24 inches tall

Weight: 10-15 pounds

Diet: Fish and krill (varies by location)

Reproduction: During mating season, the female will lay two spherical, white eggs which both the male and female take turns incubating for over a month until the eggs hatch.

Lifespan: 15-20 years (wild); 20-30 years (captivity)

Conservation Status: Near Threatened

Fun Fact: The gentoo penguin can often be seen “flying” out of the water and landing on its feet.

Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus)

The scientific name for the macaroni penguin, Eudyptes chrysolophus, describes the distinguishing features of the bird. Eudyptes means “good diver” and chrysolophus means “with a golden crest”. The crested penguin has distinct yellow and black plumes extending backward from its beak.

Size: About 2 feet tall

Weight: Average of 11 pounds

Diet: Mostly krill; sometimes fish

Reproduction: Breeding season starts in October and November. The male incubates the egg for approximately 35 days with some help from the female. The male will brood the chick after hatching and during the guard stage for about three weeks.

Lifespan: 15-20 years (wild); 20-30 years (captivity)

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Fun Facts:

• The macaroni’s plumes reminded early English explorers of an 18th century man called a “macaroni” who wore flashy feathers in his hat – thus the name.
• Its wings have evolved for use as flippers.
• It can hold its breath for up to three minutes.

Southern Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome)

The southern rockhopper has black and white feathers, with yellow feathers extending from its eyebrows backwards. It is the smallest of the six species of crested penguins.

Size: 16-18 inches tall

Weight: Average of 7 pounds

Diet: A mix of fish, crustaceans and cephalopods

Reproduction: The female and male share egg-incubation duties for 35 days. The male will brood the chick after hatching and during the guard stage for about three weeks.

Lifespan: 15-20 years (wild); 20-30 years (captivity)

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Fun Facts:

• The name rockhopper comes from the bird’s ability to jump off cliffs. When on land, it tends to hop. It can jump up to 6 feet.
• The male can produce “penguin’s milk” for the hatchling if the female does not come back with food.

About the Project

• More than 1,000 individuals – consultants, architects and tradesmen – worked on the project from start to finish.
• While digging on the construction site for the building and parking lot, ink tattoo bottles from the early 1920s were found intact 10 feet below the surface.
• The oak lumber used on the Endurance 4-D experience is reclaimed from buildings and barns in metro Detroit that were salvaged. The oak was originally milled in the late 1800s/early 1900s and would have been the exact type and age of lumber used to build the original Endurance.
• The real-life photo of the iceberg that inspired the exterior design of the building is incorporated into the Endurance 4-D experience (see if you can find it).
• In order to complete the penguin habitat, two separate scaffold “worlds” were simultaneously created – one for the lower pool rock work and another for the ceiling. More than 100 pieces of scaffolding were installed and utilized during the process with more than 50 people working at one time.
• Each element of rock work and ice work, both in the pool and out, was sculpted out of concrete completely by hand.
• The penguin habitat has the ability to produce over a yard of snow and ice per day.
• The wave technology in the aquatic area is the same that is utilized at wave pools; there are three settings for the penguins to enjoy.
• The largest acrylic viewing window in the underwater gallery weighs 37,000 pounds.
• The heads-up display technology in the underwater gallery was developed in the automotive industry by Denso and is used in cars such as the new Corvette.
• The penguin center has near net-zero water goals through the recirculation and treatment of the habitat- and animal-management pools, wash-down systems and exterior fountain-skate area.
• A custom iridescent paint was developed for the metal panel system on the exterior, giving the building a different look depending on the time of day and angle of viewing. The paint is aptly named “Iceberg”.

More information on the Polk Penguin Conservation Center is available on the Detroit Zoo website.

Image and video credit: Jennie Miller, Detroit Zoo