Is the era of mind-blowing, blockbuster zoo exhibits over?

[snowleopard]

Oregon Zoo has $125 million in bond money available for new exhibits (6-acre elephant habitat, polar bears, chimpanzees, etc), Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo has a $175 million masterplan, Indianapolis Zoo is opening a $20 million orangutan exhibit in 2014, Woodland Park Zoo is opening its $21 million Asian Tropical Forest in the same year, Columbus Zoo will have an African Savanna zone that is rumored to be around 70 acres in size, and Denver Zoo has the $50 million Asian Tropics opening in mid-2012. Many of those mega-exhibit complexes involve piecemeal additions but the size and scope of the projects is impressive.

Many European zoos also have lots of money invested in additions: Zurich Zoo's $40-50 million elephant exhibit has been gestating for what seems like forever and the zoo is opening the Pantanal and Penguins (two separate areas) before the elephants; Chester Zoo has ambitious plans for an "Islands" display; Emmen is rebuilding practically its entire zoo as it moves during the next few years; Cologne's new masterplan includes 100 million Euros in investment; and Hamburg has the Eismeer complex (polar bears, sea-lions, penguins and Europe's only walruses) opening in 2012.

Even though I have compiled a list of zoos with new, expensive exhibits on the horizon, I'm not sure that anything being built will be as audacious and spectacular as Bronx's Congo Gorilla Forest, Disney's Kilimanjaro Safari, Zurich's Masoala Rainforest, Leipzig's Gondwanaland, Minnesota's Russia's Grizzly Coast or even Dallas Zoo's Giants of the Savanna.

 

[Maguari]

Hamburg has the Eismeer complex (polar bears, sea-lions, penguins and Europe's only walruses) opening in 2012.

Harderwijk and Oceanografic (Valencia) also have walruses.

Still very glad to have them at Hamburg though!

 

[Rookeyper]

I must say that the Indianapolis orangutan design is.....unusual for a zoo exhibit. Perhaps someone pulled out the wrong plans?

 

[Jurek7]

As we have new exhibits, orangutans and Singapore zoo in one thread, the question:

Which will be first zoo in Europe or America to let orangutans climb real trees in the woods, like Singapore zoo does?

 

[Cat-Man]

Am I the only one who is being optimistic?, I'm really excited about what zoo's are going too pull out of the bag in future. I know, this was a pretty pointless post, I just wanted to be subscribed to the thread

 

[Drew]

Looking like a church aside, the "Hutan Trail" high line is poorly designed IMHO. It should loop all the way around or have criss-crossing lines. The proposed linear layout will have corners that the apes can get backed into during disagreements. Provision of multiple escape routes are important when keeping this many orangutans together.

I've been waiting for news of this exhibit to be put out for a while, now that it finally has I can vent a little. This is what happens when the zoo hires a local "high design" architect with no/little previous zoo experience. I would be really surprised (and really disappointed) if this is the aesthetic that the zoo had in mind for thier future Orang exhibit. I agree with others here about the conceptual design of the building and I agree that the "Hutan Trail" is poorly designed (although I think that the idea of increasing the scope and expanding on the concept of the O-line is a great idea). That being said the interactives, indoor housing, and enrichment sound as though they will be state of the art so at least they have that going for them.

 

[Jurek7]

Indianapolis plan looks as if an architect bureau had a spare plan for a big church and quickly converted it for a zoo...

There was a topic on this forum, that visible, modernistic architecture in zoos always failed, quickly becoming unfashionable for visitors and sub-standard for animals.

 

[Arizona Docent]

As we have new exhibits, orangutans and Singapore zoo in one thread, the question:

Which will be first zoo in Europe or America to let orangutans climb real trees in the woods, like Singapore zoo does?

Memphis Zoo has some mature existing trees inside the orangutan exhibit that they can climb. It is not exactly a rainforest, just a few thick oak trees (or something similar) in a grotto, but they are real trees at least.

 

[DavidBrown]

Are we seeing an emerging anti-immersion zoo exhibit design trend in North American zoos? Elephant Odyssey had a few immersive elements (e.g., the California stream with native amphibians and reptiles), but the major centerpiece of the exhibit, the elephant and attached large animal habitats, is definitely NOT. The utilitrees and the elephant barn are front and center as public design elements and more resemble "Blade Runner" than natural Asian, African, or South American habitat. The Indianapolis orangutan exhibit design is a steel, glass, and concrete mass that is a complete 180 degrees from anything even slightly resembling natural orang habitat.

Perhaps this is not a trend, but these are major exhibits that are making some kind of statement that goes directly against the last 40 years of immersion design movement.

.

 

[Arizona Docent]

Well, I know at least one major project opening in 2012 that will be completely naturalistic. Expedition Tanzania (african elephants) at Reid Park Zoo.

Although the barn will be plainly visible, it will be much more aesthetically pleasing than San Diego's EO barn and will be more useful to the public, with interactive elements on the side (as well as public restrooms, which of course are always useful).

 

[Zooplantman]

Are we seeing an emerging anti-immersion zoo exhibit design trend in North American zoos? Elephant Odyssey had a few immersive elements (e.g., the California stream with native amphibians and reptiles), but the major centerpiece of the exhibit, the elephant and attached large animal habitats, is definitely NOT. The utilitrees and the elephant barn are front and center as public design elements and more resemble "Blade Runner" than natural Asian, African, or South American habitat. The Indianapolis orangutan exhibit design is a steel, glass, and concrete mass that is a complete 180 degrees from anything even slightly resembling natural orang habitat.

Perhaps this is not a trend, but these are major exhibits that are making some kind of statement that goes directly against the last 40 years of immersion design movement.

.

There has been an interest in showing the "behind the scenes" and how animals are cared for for quite some time.
I think zoos may be still finding their way in how to reveal the "back of house" without diminishing the "front of house" still.
Immersion exhibits are by no means dead. So many zoos are only now beginning to attempt them. There has indeed been some talk of What Comes Next? But not much in the way of answers. And is it any wonder? In the centuries of zoo history, how many revolutions in design have there been, after all?

EO has not created much "me too!" buzz in the zoo world as far as I know. It is a "one of."
Indianapolis has a history of blazing its own trail. And this new project takes a great deal from National Zoo's exhibit. So no new trend here, IMO