Penguins at the Detroit Zoo marched along a light blue carpet towards their new home, the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, on 7 April. The new centre, which opens to the public on 18 April, is being touted as the largest facility for penguins in the world. And it is very large – some 33,000ft2 in total – and boasts a 326,000-gallon, 25ft deep aquatic area for over 80 penguins to swim freely and for visitors to soak in the sight.

An unprecedented number of visitors is expected to flock to the Detroit Zoo to see the new penguin centre, which is free with zoo admission. An underwater gallery and two acrylic underwater tunnels provide the views as the birds swim above, around and below. Based on the mammoth Antarctic quests of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the experience features 4-D effects, such as polar blasts, rough waves and snow, while the exterior of the building recalls an iceberg, with built-in crevasse waterfall in its framework.