Illuminating nature: DALI system recreates Indonesian Swamp Forest at Auckland Zoo

Auckland Zoo’s $62 million South East Asia Jungle Track project features a remarkable 400m2 climate-controlled Swamp Forest dome, where zencontrol’s DALI lighting system plays a crucial role in recreating an authentic Indonesian habitat. 

The challenge: Maintain a consistent 12-hour tropical daylight cycle in New Zealand’s variable climate that mimics the natural sunrise and sunset transitions.

The solution: A zencontrol DALI system including 20 high-output floodlights and low-level pool spotlights, 5 sensors for consistent lux level monitoring, a controller, power supply, relays, and control panels. 

zencontrol’s DALI system offers a range of innovative features that bring significant benefits to the Swamp Forest habitat. It simulates gradual sunrise and sunset, adapts to natural light fluctuations, integrates with the zoo’s building management system, and provides staff with real-time control through Planview software. These capabilities enhance animal and plant well-being by accurately replicating natural light cycles, improve energy efficiency through adaptive lighting, enable precise environmental control, and offer operational flexibility for zoo staff. The result is a thriving ecosystem that closely mimics the conditions of an Indonesian swamp forest, supporting Auckland Zoo’s conservation and education goals.

The Swamp Forest habitat demonstrates how advanced lighting control can recreate natural environments, supporting Auckland Zoo’s conservation and education mission. zencontrol’s DALI system has been instrumental in bringing a slice of Indonesia to New Zealand, ensuring a thriving ecosystem within this meticulously crafted tropical oasis.

Project details

Location	Auckland Zoo, New Zealand
Size	400m2 climate-controlled dome
Integrator	Intelligent Environments
Supplied	Lighting control Cloud services