Detroit Zoo has debuted its new US$30m (€26.5m, £21.1m) penguin habitat, with the state-of-the-art enclosure offering a face-to-face encounter with the antarctic birds.

Home to 69 penguins – gentoos, macaronis, king and rockhoppers – the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, designed by the architectural team of Albert Kahn Associates and Jones & Jones Architects, features an underwater gallery and two acrylic tunnels for visitors to see the birds fly through the water.

Designed to simulate a penguin’s native habitat, the 33,000sq ft (3,000sq m) enclosure – which resembles an iceberg above a 326,000 gallon, 25-foot-deep pool – encourages the same kind of behaviour as seen in the wild, including leaping in and out of the water, nesting and rearing young.

To enhance the visitor experience, antarctic conditions are emulated upon entry, with a 4D show by SimEx! Iwerks using blasts of polar air and sea mists. The 4D feature depicts the phenomenon of iceberg calving – when an iceberg splits and crashes into the sea.

The attraction – named after its largest donor the Polk Family Fund, which contributed US$10m (€8.8m, £7m) to the development – is the largest, most expensive project in the zoo’s 88-year history. The team of DeMaria and Wharton Smith were general contractors for the project, which took 18 months to build. The zoo’s former penguinarium, now vacant, will be renovated to become a conservation centre for bats.

“Just as the Detroit Zoo’s original Penguinarium set a new standard in 1968, the Polk Penguin Conservation Center redefines “state of the art” for captive penguin habitats,” said a statement from the zoo. “While providing a spectacular visitor experience, the animal habitat itself ensures an optimal environment for the welfare of the penguins, with air temperature set to a near-freezing 37 degrees Fahrenheit and the water at 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Our animal care staff all share the same long-term goal of better understanding how we can provide an environment that allows penguins to thrive and maintain the best possible health and welfare. Every aspect of the Polk Penguin Conservation Center is designed to meet the birds’ needs.”