Pleistocene891
Well-Known Member
Bronx also has a nice seabird aviary, although the diversity is nowhere near as good.
America's 100 Must See Exhibits
- Thread starter pachyderm pro
- Start date
Is the snow in those photos natural (i.e. taken in winter), or artificial (i.e. either man-made snow or painted on the rocks)?23. Seabird Aviary
Oregon Coast Aquarium, OR
Opened: c.1992
Size: 7,850 Square Feet (730 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: Tufted Puffin, Horned Puffin, Rhinoceros Auklet, Pigeon Guillemot, Common Murre, Black Oystercatcher
Alcids have extremely demanding welfare needs that make them difficult to display in captivity, but if those needs can be met, they can create one of the most engaging enclosures in any zoo or aquarium. This 34 foot tall aviary is the largest outdoor seabird enclosure in North America. There are two pools with varying depths that add up to hold 29,000 gallons as well as nearly 40 individual nesting sites. Underwater viewing windows placed at knee-height allow guests to get inches away from the birds, close enough to be in the splash zone of an energetic auk. Intricate rockwork fills the aviary and showcases the endearing nature of alcid behavior, with several rock burrows and a 30 foot cliffside that allows the birds to demonstrate their impressive diving abilities. This aviary is also home to the only captive breeding pair of black oystercatchers anywhere in the world. Every aspect of this display is superb and is a great example of a facility taking advantage of its climate to create an exhibit that wouldn’t be possible elsewhere.
@snowleopard
@snowleopard
@snowleopard
@snowleopard
Similar Exhibits: Another excellent alcid aviary can be found at the Alaska SeaLife Center. This aviary holds the title of the deepest seabird aviary in North America at roughly 21 feet deep. The underwater viewing area is very impressive and many rockfish can be seen sharing the pool with the birds. This could easily have been the pick instead of the Oregon Coast aviary and in its own ways is just as impressive. The outdoor aviary at Point Defiance Zoo is also worthy of a mention even if it doesn't hold the distinctions of the other two.
Alaska SeaLife Center
@Arizona Docent
@Pleistohorse
Point Defiance Zoo
@Arizona Docent
Natural.
I'm a big fan of the Oregon Coast Aquarium and yet hardly any zoo nerds visit the facility because of its remote location (2.5 hours south of Portland). Just about every single photo of the aquarium in the ZooChat gallery was taken by me and I haven't been back in a decade!
All my photos that @pachyderm pro used were taken during a snowy day in March 2013. Here are a few images of the Seabird Aviary that I took in 2010 and 2011:
The entrance to the aviary has some prominent rockwork:
All my photos that @pachyderm pro used were taken during a snowy day in March 2013. Here are a few images of the Seabird Aviary that I took in 2010 and 2011:
The entrance to the aviary has some prominent rockwork:
The winning formula for the best zoo exhibit seems to be worked out long ago:
- plan at least half or twice too much space (otherwise, 10 years to the future you will have a too small exhibit),
- do lots of natural vegetation,
- avoid cultural theming (it will be obsolete in 10 years time),
- stick to classical architecture (because the best fashion of today in 10 years time will be laughably obsolete)
- even better, minimize and anonymize the architecture and shift focus to the pure nature (people come to the zoo to see a lion, not a lion house).
- plan at least half or twice too much space (otherwise, 10 years to the future you will have a too small exhibit),
- do lots of natural vegetation,
- avoid cultural theming (it will be obsolete in 10 years time),
- stick to classical architecture (because the best fashion of today in 10 years time will be laughably obsolete)
- even better, minimize and anonymize the architecture and shift focus to the pure nature (people come to the zoo to see a lion, not a lion house).
Agreed, bar the last point. With good architecture, so more functional, but not necessarily invisible, than the ego of the architect, you can make a statement for decades and remain good.
I would add that it is wise to invest in durable materials and easy maintenance. Cheap often doesn't age well. Look at Diergaarde Blijdorp where a butterfly hall of 15 year old is in need of a whole overhaul and aviaries of the same period already need to be replaced. Compare that to Rimba in Burgers' Zoo, which is of a similar age, but doesn't show any wear to speak of and remains up-to-date...
The exhibit should be durable, true, but also be easily converted and upgraded.
Durable materials and inflexible design became curse of the before-mentioned exhibits like Brookfield Zoos Tropic World, Omaha Zoos Desert Dome, Kansas Zoos Ape House, Bronx Zoos World of Darkness and many other night houses and ape houses. Artificial concrete trees and rocks cannot be replaced, small exhibits set in concrete cannot be enlarged and merged without pulling down the whole building...
Durable materials and inflexible design became curse of the before-mentioned exhibits like Brookfield Zoos Tropic World, Omaha Zoos Desert Dome, Kansas Zoos Ape House, Bronx Zoos World of Darkness and many other night houses and ape houses. Artificial concrete trees and rocks cannot be replaced, small exhibits set in concrete cannot be enlarged and merged without pulling down the whole building...
This is assuming that zoo exhibits should be designed to last all eternity. Perhaps it would be ideal to instead acknowledge that even the most groundbreaking, innovative exhibits of today may be obsolete in twenty years- and instead design exhibits with this "shelf life" in mind, so that they are relatively easy to demolish when need be, and designed based on what the zoo needs today, not what the zoo needs in ten, twenty, or a hundred years. While there are certainly some timeless exhibits that are great examples of good zoo exhibits, there's also nothing wrong with designing a utilitarian exhibit that isn't designed to last more than a decade or two, and then replace it as such.
I'm a big fan of the Oregon Coast Aquarium and yet hardly any zoo nerds visit the facility because of its remote location (2.5 hours south of Portland). Just about every single photo of the aquarium in the ZooChat gallery was taken by me and I haven't been back in a decade!
All my photos that @pachyderm pro used were taken during a snowy day in March 2013. Here are a few images of the Seabird Aviary that I took in 2010 and 2011:
The entrance to the aviary has some prominent rockwork:
I drove past it going from Wildlife Safari back to Portland (wanted to stop at the sea lion caves), but the person I was with isn't a zoo person and was being pretty snippy about stopping places
I'd love to go back and drive myself instead.
RIPPompadour
Active Member
I drove past it going from Wildlife Safari back to Portland (wanted to stop at the sea lion caves), but the person I was with isn't a zoo person and was being pretty snippy about stopping places
Oregon Coast really is a neat aquarium. I’m admittedly a homer in these debates, but despite this trait I have Oregon Coast ranked higher than pre-Covid Vancouver. The Aviary, sea otter habitat, and trio of cold water tunnels all stand out in my mind even though the visit was back in 2018.
Flashback to the concrete discussion in europe's thread?
I disagree with this. Unless it was cheap and intended to be demolished quickly, that is the definition of bad architecture and unsustainable use of materials. Burgers Zoo is an incredible exemple: one projet every 5 or 6 years would lead to believe the zoo is old-fashioned and not up to date anymore. That is the contrary thanks to awesome conception, lot of care in planning and large dimensions that allow to resist the test of time. At some point all exhibits will need to be revamped but 20 years is definitely a way too short timeframe. I would say that 50 years should be the target for large structures, which a lot of newly designed houses will probably never reach, but others buildings have shown that is doable.
Building is one of the most wasteful human activity and design sustainably means first durability, and then ease of recycling.
Pretty much. It’s hard to think of an activity more contradictory to the supposed conservation ethos of zoos than to wantonly waste resources as described above.
I don’t know a lot about architecture but I believe most public buildings are designed to have a useful life of 70-100 years (obviously many last much longer than this with suitable renovation). Zoo exhibits shouldn’t be any different.
I remember a while back I made a thread talking about the longevity of exhibits and it's something I still think about frequently. It feels weird to imagine that something like the Pantanal or Giants of the Savanna may one day be considered outdated while they're currently being praised. However, exhibits evolve overtime and can be adapted without being completely demolished or replaced - see Bronx’s African Plains or Toledo's Museum of Natural History.
This discussion really is a perfect segway into the next exhibit on the list, especially if we’re talking about significant architecture.
This discussion really is a perfect segway into the next exhibit on the list, especially if we’re talking about significant architecture.
24. Pepper Family Wildlife Center
Lincoln Park Zoo, IL
Opened: 1912 (Completely Renovated in 2021)
Size: 54,000 Square Feet (5,100 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: African Lion, Snow Leopard, Canada Lynx, Red Panda
After over a century of use, this once badly outdated lion house needed a monumental overhaul if it was to continue to house animals in the modern era. Only recently was that vision finally realized and now this absolutely stunning listed building is a careful blend of historical and contemporary architecture. A previously overcrowded collection is now only a third of what it once was and lions were chosen to be the primary focus. The entire north end of the building consists of a dynamic lion habitat with food ziplines, various climbing structures and deadfall, as well as complex rockwork providing excellent verticality. The building received an extension down the middle of the lion habitat known as the Lion Loop, which allows the big cats to climb over the heads of visitors to the other side of the exhibit. The harp-wire dioramas that once lined the halls of the building were ripped out in favor of a series of impressive viewing windows, although this design choice means cross views are rather apparent. The traditional cages on the south side of the building are still in use, only receiving minor upgrades during the renovation, but there are now fewer species all of which have access to several cages. What’s been accomplished with this building is remarkable and it is an exemplar model of how to modernize a listed structure while preserving its historical integrity.
@pachyderm pro
@Moebelle
@Moebelle
@pachyderm pro
@pachyderm pro
@pachyderm pro
Similar Exhibits: I'm not aware of another historic cat house that has been modernized to this extent.
Lincoln Park Zoo, IL
Opened: 1912 (Completely Renovated in 2021)
Size: 54,000 Square Feet (5,100 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: African Lion, Snow Leopard, Canada Lynx, Red Panda
After over a century of use, this once badly outdated lion house needed a monumental overhaul if it was to continue to house animals in the modern era. Only recently was that vision finally realized and now this absolutely stunning listed building is a careful blend of historical and contemporary architecture. A previously overcrowded collection is now only a third of what it once was and lions were chosen to be the primary focus. The entire north end of the building consists of a dynamic lion habitat with food ziplines, various climbing structures and deadfall, as well as complex rockwork providing excellent verticality. The building received an extension down the middle of the lion habitat known as the Lion Loop, which allows the big cats to climb over the heads of visitors to the other side of the exhibit. The harp-wire dioramas that once lined the halls of the building were ripped out in favor of a series of impressive viewing windows, although this design choice means cross views are rather apparent. The traditional cages on the south side of the building are still in use, only receiving minor upgrades during the renovation, but there are now fewer species all of which have access to several cages. What’s been accomplished with this building is remarkable and it is an exemplar model of how to modernize a listed structure while preserving its historical integrity.
@pachyderm pro
@Moebelle
@Moebelle
@pachyderm pro
@pachyderm pro
@pachyderm pro
Similar Exhibits: I'm not aware of another historic cat house that has been modernized to this extent.
Absolutely one of the best lion exhibits on the continent. The amount of angles you can the view the cats from is insane and yet they still have places out of view somehow.24. Pepper Family Wildlife Center
Lincoln Park Zoo, IL
Opened: 1912 (Completely Renovated in 2021)
Size: 54,000 Square Feet (5,100 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: African Lion, Snow Leopard, Canada Lynx, Red Panda
After over a century of use, this once badly outdated lion house needed a monumental overhaul if it was to continue to house animals in the modern era. Only recently was that vision finally realized and now this absolutely stunning listed building is a careful blend of historical and contemporary architecture. A previously overcrowded collection is now only a third of what it once was and lions were chosen to be the primary focus. The entire north end of the building consists of a dynamic lion habitat with food ziplines, various climbing structures and deadfall, as well as complex rockwork providing excellent verticality. The building received an extension down the middle of the lion habitat known as the Lion Loop, which allows the big cats to climb over the heads of visitors to the other side of the exhibit. The harp-wire dioramas that once lined the halls of the building were ripped out in favor of a series of impressive viewing windows, although this design choice means cross views are rather apparent. The traditional cages on the south side of the building are still in use, only receiving minor upgrades during the renovation, but there are now fewer species all of which have access to several cages. What’s been accomplished with this building is remarkable and it is an exemplar model of how to modernize a listed structure while preserving its historical integrity.
@pachyderm pro
@Moebelle
@Moebelle
@pachyderm pro
@pachyderm pro
@pachyderm pro
Similar Exhibits: I'm not aware of another historic cat house that has been modernized to this extent.
Pleistocene891
Well-Known Member
I still call it the Kovler Lion House. The new name is absolutely terrible.
While certainly a respectable lion exhibit, I'm a little bit confused about those massive fake trees, which seem like an eye sore in the photos. What purpose do they serve, as I doubt it's a climbing structure the lions would use?24. Pepper Family Wildlife Center
Lincoln Park Zoo, IL
Opened: 1912 (Completely Renovated in 2021)
Size: 54,000 Square Feet (5,100 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: African Lion, Snow Leopard, Canada Lynx, Red Panda
After over a century of use, this once badly outdated lion house needed a monumental overhaul if it was to continue to house animals in the modern era. Only recently was that vision finally realized and now this absolutely stunning listed building is a careful blend of historical and contemporary architecture. A previously overcrowded collection is now only a third of what it once was and lions were chosen to be the primary focus. The entire north end of the building consists of a dynamic lion habitat with food ziplines, various climbing structures and deadfall, as well as complex rockwork providing excellent verticality. The building received an extension down the middle of the lion habitat known as the Lion Loop, which allows the big cats to climb over the heads of visitors to the other side of the exhibit. The harp-wire dioramas that once lined the halls of the building were ripped out in favor of a series of impressive viewing windows, although this design choice means cross views are rather apparent. The traditional cages on the south side of the building are still in use, only receiving minor upgrades during the renovation, but there are now fewer species all of which have access to several cages. What’s been accomplished with this building is remarkable and it is an exemplar model of how to modernize a listed structure while preserving its historical integrity.
@pachyderm pro
@Moebelle
@Moebelle
@pachyderm pro
@pachyderm pro
@pachyderm pro
Similar Exhibits: I'm not aware of another historic cat house that has been modernized to this extent.
I don't mind the new name except for the fact it's misleading. The name screams "nature center" or "native wildlife" in my mind, not species from halfway across the world.
24. Pepper Family Wildlife Center
Lincoln Park Zoo, IL
Opened: 1912 (Completely Renovated in 2021)
Size: 54,000 Square Feet (5,100 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: African Lion, Snow Leopard, Canada Lynx, Red Panda
After over a century of use, this once badly outdated lion house needed a monumental overhaul if it was to continue to house animals in the modern era. Only recently was that vision finally realized and now this absolutely stunning listed building is a careful blend of historical and contemporary architecture. A previously overcrowded collection is now only a third of what it once was and lions were chosen to be the primary focus. The entire north end of the building consists of a dynamic lion habitat with food ziplines, various climbing structures and deadfall, as well as complex rockwork providing excellent verticality. The building received an extension down the middle of the lion habitat known as the Lion Loop, which allows the big cats to climb over the heads of visitors to the other side of the exhibit. The harp-wire dioramas that once lined the halls of the building were ripped out in favor of a series of impressive viewing windows, although this design choice means cross views are rather apparent. The traditional cages on the south side of the building are still in use, only receiving minor upgrades during the renovation, but there are now fewer species all of which have access to several cages. What’s been accomplished with this building is remarkable and it is an exemplar model of how to modernize a listed structure while preserving its historical integrity.
@pachyderm pro
@Moebelle
@Moebelle
@pachyderm pro
@pachyderm pro
@pachyderm pro
Similar Exhibits: I'm not aware of another historic cat house that has been modernized to this extent.
I love the use of the pre-existing architecture of the lion house as a viewing gallery for guests. It seems to be a hit with locals and as well as the lions, now that they’ve had cubs born recently since it’s debut and will only draw in more crowds to see the pride
I agree with you and I don’t get the new “Wildlife Center” name either. Perhaps it’s due to it not being solely lions exhibited there? But being that they’re the star attractions to this exhibit, I think at least Pepper Family Lion House maybe been more on the money
One of the trees has a wench near the top, my guess is to hoist up carcasses or enrichment items to the top for the pride. And the other ones branching out, perhaps for the lions to chill out on
@Julio C Castro is correct. Keepers hang carcasses and other food items from the top of the trees. The ones that branch out at a more horizontal angle also act as climbing structures, although I haven't seen the lions utilize them this way. They certainly stick out a bit, but their appearance will soften over time.
I don't think anybody I've spoken to is a fan of the name. It's far too ambiguous and diminutive for a building this imposing. A name that emphasized cats or carnivores would have been much better, but most locals still refer to it as the lion house anyway.