At the Olomouc Zoo in the Czech Republic, a new exhibition and educational facility called the Loděnka Education Centre is being developed – including the country’s largest shark aquarium. For the heat supply of the new building, the new flexible piping system ARMOPEX from BRUGG Pipes is being used for the first time.
Olomouc Zoo is located in Olomouc-Svatý Kopeček, around 300 kilometres southeast of Prague. It is one of the well-known zoological institutions in the Czech Republic and recorded nearly 380,000 visitors in 2025. Its attractions include walk-through enclosures, seawater aquariums, and several themed pavilions. Since March, construction work for the Loděnka Education Centre has been underway on the zoo grounds. The new centre is being built near the Archa restaurant and will in future include, among other facilities, a lecture hall for 100 people, two classrooms for 30 students each, as well as the new deep-sea shark aquarium. With this project, the zoo is expanding its educational offering, which already reaches several thousand children, young people, and school classes per year.
Premiere for BRUGG Pipes’ latest piping system
For the heat supply of the new aquarium building, the newly developed ARMOPEX piping system from BRUGG Pipes is being used for the first time. The flexible piping system connects the new building to the existing heating station on the zoo site and ensures a reliable energy supply for the facility.
ARMOPEX was developed for demanding district and local heating applications. The system bridges the gap between conventional PEX pipelines and metallic piping systems. Thanks to an aramid-reinforced PE-Xa inner pipe with an integrated aluminium barrier layer, ARMOPEX is designed for operating temperatures of up to 115 °C and an operating pressure of up to 12 bar. This provides high safety reserves, particularly for longer pipeline routes, differences in elevation, or dynamic load peaks in the network.
A key performance feature of ARMOPEX is its high energy efficiency. The PUR insulation with a thermal conductivity of λ = 0.0199 W/mK (at 50 °C) significantly reduces heat losses. This results in lower operating costs and supports the operation of heating networks with low flow temperatures.
A total of 560 metres of BRUGG Pipes ARMOPEX 63/126 were installed at Olomouc Zoo. The route runs around the giraffe enclosure, along the flamingo habitat, and over approximately 70 metres through a forested area to the new building. Despite the challenging routing, the installation was carried out efficiently.
The project was implemented by BRUGG Pipes’ long-standing partner PEZ Pipes. The decisive factors for choosing BRUGG Pipes were product quality, attractive delivery conditions, and on-site technical support. The flexibility of the system was particularly appreciated, as well as the reliable and on-time delivery.
Even the peacock seems to be interested in the new ARMOPEX piping system.
The installation was completed within three days. According to those involved in the project, implementation within just one day would have been possible, but was not required for this project.
Martin Rigaud, CEO of BRUGG Pipes, is pleased about the first use of the new piping system: “The fact that our new ARMOPEX piping system is being used in such a special project makes me very happy. Its application at Olomouc Zoo clearly demonstrates the system’s advantages: high safety, easy installation, and great flexibility for demanding route layouts.”