New roof will help save jungle exhibit at Sedgwick County Zoo

Here's another article highlighting the usefulness of ETFE roof technology. Something to keep in mind when the Tampa Bay Rowdies finally start to plan to build their SSS, presumably on the Al Lang site. You can protect players and fans from rain, lightning, etc., while still keeping the outdoors feel, without huge expense. 

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New roof technology could benefit a new Rays stadium:

http://supportyourlocalfootballclub.blogspot.com/2016/08/new-roof-technology-could-benefit-new.html

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Forsyth Barr Stadium:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forsyth_Barr_Stadium

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ETFE:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETFE

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(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.kansas.com/news/local/article1261939.html

New roof will help save jungle exhibit at Sedgwick County Zoo

August 20, 2014 7:14 AM

The jungle exhibit at the Sedgwick County Zoo was in danger due to low light levels. Tropical plants weren’t growing. A new roof aims to bring in more light, which will allow the zoo to add new plants and birds.

By Deb Gruver

The jungle at the Sedgwick County Zoo is getting a facelift – and not just for aesthetics.

Tropical plants were shriveling up inside the jungle building because they weren’t getting enough sunlight.

“The jungle was in a state of dying,” said Dan Wright, operations coordinator for the zoo.

The jungle building’s roof, which was about 22 years old and made of fiberglass panels created to let in translucent light, was no longer letting enough sunshine in.

.  .  .

The jungle is getting a roof made from a new product developed in Germany called ETFE, short for ethylene tetrafluoroethylene. The fluorine-based plastic film is popular in Europe, Wright said. The Sedgwick County Zoo will be the second in North America to use the product.

“Big zoos in Europe have huge structures of it,” Wright said.

On a sunny day, the new roof should provide a candle power level of 5,000 to the jungle’s plants, Wright said. In general, tropical plants need a minimum level of 200, and high-light plants such as cacti need 1,000.

The new roof, scheduled to be put on the first week of October, will be a three-layer system inflated with air.

“The outer layer will have reflective dots on it, because we’ll actually have too much sun,” Wright said.