Studying in a lively classroom, observing freshly hatched chicks and experiencing local nature up close: In the Mühlendorf (mill village), the newest part of the Tierpark Hellabrunn, experiencing biodiversity – what it means and how it can be protected – is in the foreground. The Mühlendorf resembles an alpine farmer’s village and offers an ample insight into domestic biodiversity while also teaching about the importance of nature and species protection in a playful way. Different play and educative stations both, invite visitors to learn about evolutionary processes like how wild animals became domestic pets, and enable visitors to experience original and endangered domestic species. With many different possibilities to explore, the Mühlendorf offers an experience for the whole family. The architecture team around Kieran Stanley, CEO dan pearlman experience architecture, was responsible for developing a master plan and supervised the implementation of the two construction phases until the final reopening.
At the heart of the Mühlendorf at Tierpark Hellabrunn is the preservation of ecologic diversity. This central goal comes alive in different educative elements and stations. Right on the Auer mill stream, an exciting learning journey starts for the visitors. From the bridge at the entrance of the new park part, one can watch salmons and see the rushing water wheel before entering the village. The individual buildings of the mill village are built in the style of Bavarian village houses at the beginning of the 20th century. This architectural concept creates a realistic, rural atmosphere right in the busy city of Munich. At the beginning of the Mühlendorf, the eponymous mill situated which contains an info point and an exhibition on the topic “biodiversity at the stream”. Further insights into the underwater life can be gotten in the fish hatching house. Here, visitors can experience the “in-situ” – protection project which is placed in the natural habitat of endangered fish species. Close to the fish hatching house, the stalls for numerous sorts of pets are located. These pets include the New Zealand pig Kunekune, the Murnau-Werdenfelser cattle, Shetland ponies, Hungarian danubian goose and many more. Curious visitors can dive into different development processes of chicken and witness how an egg becomes a chick or learn which part humans play in the handling of natural resources. In a playful way, the Mühlendorf portrays how everyone can contribute to the preservation of global biodiversity. “It’s impressive to see how the area of the former children zoo turned into a real hotspot of biodiversity”, says Rasam Baban, director of the zoo. Yet, there are not only lot’s of things to see at the Mühlendorf but also many things to taste, smell and touch. In the beer garden, visitors can try Bavarian specialties and the village store invites everyone to rummage around. With the wooden buildings, the rustic decoration and the village well, a cozy ambience arises where visitors can relax and refuel before proceeding to the Tierpark (zoo) school. The Tierpark school is the heart of the zoo and was built during the second construction phase. With the Tierpark school, an extracurricular learning space with four classrooms for pupils was created. On the ground floor, the goat stable is attached to the classroom what makes up for a lively learning experience. Moreover, the ground floor contains a lobby and three teacher rooms. On the first floor, three further classrooms are situated. Due to mobile separation walls, the rooms can easily be joint to one big space for up to 200 people. It is the perfect place for hosting events at the Tierpark. A further highlight of the Tierpark school is the goat stable which is not only attached to the classroom but also provides a petting zoo for kids. During the second construction phase further stables for Dahomey dwarf cattle and Damaraund Girgentana goats, a beekeeper wagon with hives and a sand lizard enclosure have been created. Educative elements have also been extended in the second phase. Now, visitors can learn about “insects and regional biodiversity” as well as about wild and honey bees. The Mühlendorf became a true destination that focusses on biodiversity, playfully includes didactic elements, and creates a leisure experience for the whole family.
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Photos: Copyright Hellabrunn/ Joerg Koch & Marc Müller
FACTS AT A GLANCE
Client: Münchner Tierpark Hellabrunn
Project: Mühlendorf
Services: Architecture and Landscape Architecture (work stages 1-5 HOAI)
Planning time: 2015 – 2017
Construction period: 1. Construction phase 07/2017 – 07/2018
2. Construction phase 08/2018 – 07/2019 Opening: 27. July 2018 (1. Part) 19. July 2019 (2. Part)
Overall planning area: 20.005 m²
Building foot print: 2.305 m²
Gross volume: 10.520 m³
Construction costs: ca. 13 Mio. Euro
