VMA Design's Radical Orientarium Zoo Pavilion Wins International Competition

VMA Design Studio has won the international architectural competition to design House of Elements, a groundbreaking 6,000sq m zoological pavilion at Orientarium Zoo Łódź in Poland.

Rather than a collection of separate animal habitats, VMA has conceived the building as a continuous narrative journey exploring the development and adaptation of life on Earth. Visitors will descend underground into Earth before travelling through Ice, Water, Fire and Air, eventually emerging among the treetops in a Future zone.

The route spirals around a central sea lion courtyard, which remains a recurring visual reference as visitors move through the building. Animal environments include penguins, bears, manatees, tortoises, primates and aviary habitats, with architecture, interpretation and animal viewing integrated into the narrative.

The concept is titled One Seed – A Thousand Growths. A robot representation of the early hominin Lucy is envisaged as a guide at the beginning of the evolutionary journey, while elevated paths, underwater viewing and a daylight-filled ETFE-covered canopy will create different perspectives on the animals as visitors progress through the attraction.

VMA's proposal treats the architecture itself as part of the storytelling, with the spiralling circulation shaping the external form of the pavilion. The Bangkok-based practice was awarded first prize in the international architectural competition and is responsible for architecture and interior design.

House of Elements will expand the visitor offer at Orientarium Zoo Łódź, which has already undergone major redevelopment around its existing Orientarium complex.