The doors that no one can find
For about four years, Wilhelma—one of Europe’s most biodiverse zoological and botanical gardens—gutted, renovated, and completely transformed the former great ape house from the 1970s into Terra Australis. Since its opening in July 2023, eleven Australian animal species have been living here, including four koalas and quokkas, which can be seen only in Stuttgart anywhere in Europe. The facility is divided into three sections, is fully accessible, air-conditioned, and soundproofed, with a glass roof in the koala area and subdued moonlight lighting for the nocturnal residents. Over 50 companies and trades were involved in the project, one of which was BUCHELE.
The entire facility was equipped with doors from BUCHELE. In a modern zoo building, doors must meet a wide range of requirements: They separate visitor areas, staff corridors, and animal enclosures; they must withstand the warm, humid climate of the animal houses over the long term; and they must ensure safe operations for animals, keepers, and visitors. Numerous doors from the premium PLANE Line series were used, combining custom finishes and sizes with proven functionality.
The design highlight of the project: Some of the doors were clad in such a way that they are simply no longer recognizable in the natural-looking landscape of the enclosures. Rock-like textures and landscape elements extend across the door surfaces, perfectly preserving the illusion of a closed habitat for visitors. Technically, these elements make no compromises whatsoever: All requirements for function, safety, and durability are fully met. Each of these doors is one-of-a-kind, designed and manufactured in our own production facility in Ebersbach.
Ultimately, Terra Australis is perhaps the most charming project in the BUCHELE portfolio: The greatest success of these doors is that no visitor ever notices them. Australia in the heart of Stuttgart, and the technology behind it remains invisible. That’s exactly how it should be.
