Chimps take a shine to Monodraught SunPipes
Among the benefits offered by the refurbished chimpanzee house at the Welsh Mountain Zoo is energy-saving natural daylight from Monodraught SunPipes.
Monodraught SunPipes have been used to bring daylight into the refurbished chimpanzee House at the Welsh Mountain Zoo near Colwyn Bay, a task that would not have been practical with windows. When the zoo decided to refurbish the chimpanzee house Nick Jackson, zoological director, insisted that natural daylight should be a priority to replace electric lighting controlled by a time switch. The building dates from 1990 and provides shelter for the animals in bad weather. There is a hall for the chimpanzees with a 6 m-high ceiling and a 100-seat auditorium for educational talks for the public. The two areas are separated by armoured glass. Using windows would have seriously reduced usable space. Traditional windows would have needed to be protected with wire mesh, and windows with armoured glass would have been two expensive. SunPipes were suggested by contractor Anwyl Construction Company as a solution with minimal disruption since a new ceiling was being installed as part of the refurbishment. For safety reasons the two translucent ceiling diffusers, which do not require any maintenance, are strategically place to make them total inaccessible to the chimpanzees. At least 75% of electricity costs used for lighting can be saved during daytime if SunPipes are used to replace electric lighting during daylight hours. Monodraught
Related links:
Related articles:
