Upton-by-Cheshire is home to Chester Zoo. It was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family. The zoo is enormous at 111 acres (45 ha). The zoo has a total land holding of approximately 400 acres (160 ha).

Chester Zoo is currently operated by the North of England Zoological Society, a registered charity founded in 1934. The charity is responsible for all costs as it receives no Government funding. It had more than 1.3 million visitors in 2007, making it the most visited wildlife attraction.

Chester’s Tropical Realm is Britain’s largest tropical house at over 26,000 cubic metres. The building is about 60 feet high, 200 feet wide, and 250 feet long. The construction which is spectacular first opened in 1964. Its inside is open plan up to roof level. It contains pool and mature tropical plants with pathways to walk through. Over 30 types of birds are flying loose. Aviaries and vivaria are arranged around the sides of the building. The Tropical Realm is also home to the reptiles. Water, too, plays a big part in establishing the atmosphere of the Tropical Realm: there’s a massive waterfall plunging into a pond close to the entrance – it’s the noise as much as anything else which is striking.

The roof coating had lasted 50 years but would now need replacing. Chester Zoo had to consider diligently about which products to use as the roof had to be altered. The roof had to be re-waterproofed quickly with minimum disruption to the creatures below. It was important for the roof to be waterproofed well – one man-made waterfall is quite enough for the Tropical Realm! Exposure to rainfall and the British climate could be fatal to some of the flora and fauna of this tropical house. In February 2011 Acrypol + roof coating was applied to 500SqM of roof area as part of a major renovation which has resulted in the most amazing possible tropical environment, enhanced climate control and decreased fuel costs for the zoo.

Although it is several decades old, Chester’s Tropical House is still one of the most exciting animal houses in a British zoo. It is big enough – and full enough – to merit a visit to the zoo in itself, and on a cold day several hours might happily be spent within it.

To learn more about projects comparable this or to discover a roof coating that could work on your roof at home, visit the Acrypol website.