Pavilion for the vastures

The concept of the pavilion refers to the utopian work of Karel Čapek, War with the Newts. The interior of the pavilion for the giant newts departs from the classic scheme of imitating the environment that animals inhabit in the wild and, in the spirit of the aforementioned, abstracts artificial rock into a polygonal triangular structure. This structure freely passes through the entire pavilion, merging at the location of the main exhibit with an artificial cascade of mountain ponds inhabited by Chinese giant newts.

The polygonal structure of the walls and ceiling is designed from bonded sheet metal triangular pieces, whose colors change from lighter tones in the entrance and exit areas to completely dark colors in the main exhibit with the giant newts. The structure creates the impression of an abstract image of a natural rock mass. The actual cladding is realized on a secondary load-bearing structure, creating a cavity that allows for seamless installation conduits for the individual devices. The pavilion's floors are made of self-leveling gray epoxy screed.
The system of mountain ponds is artificially modeled with a concrete screed on a base of polystyrene panels and planted with living vegetation. The individual exhibits are glazed with laminated glass reinforced with a duromer film.
The scenographically designed environment of the aquarium will be modeled from polyurethane-based materials with a surface treatment imitating an underwater environment. The water in the circuit of the main and accompanying exhibits must only come into contact with pH-neutral materials.

The main exhibit of the giant newts is complemented at the entrance and exit of the pavilion with screens of an intelligent programmable system that allows for interactive engagement of the visitor in an otherwise static narrative of the pavilion.
This allows the visitor to download thematic applications to their mobile devices, study detailed information about the natural ecosystem of the giant newts, project related video recordings, and partially interactively choose the lighting scenario of the pavilion. The pavilion is illuminated by dimmable LED lights, which will operate in three modes in the main part of the pavilion: animal day, twilight, night. The lighting scenes will be set so that visitors can experience all modes throughout the day.

The environment of the exhibits will be made from polyurethane-based materials to closely mimic the natural ecosystem of the animal. The scene is supplemented to the maximum extent possible with live vegetation. Water will flow through the main exhibit over the cascades of the main aquariums, locally spilling over the edges of artificial rocks and creating small waterfalls in the interior.