ZooChat Exhibit Design Competition #2

Can the zoo bring the terrain of the bank to make it accessible for their animals or for other reasons(filter access, visitor attraction etc.)?
 
(Not part of the competition)

First of all I'd like to say, this exhibit design competition looks like a great idea, I might be interested in joining, even.

In fact it's a shame this contest didn't take place a few months earlier, because I made an exhibit plan of a very similar area then! I spent a good few hours on an area with the same theme a couple months ago, it's really a shame it júst doesn't quite fit the specifications or I'd edit and submit it haha. Here it is:

Liberian Passage: Pygmy hippopotamus exhibit plan. by NFWG on DeviantArt

Thought you guys might be able to use the inspiration!
 
11jadaway said:
West African Exhibit - The 'River of Return'

This exhibit will be based on the Volta River region that flows through both Ghana and Burkina Faso in West Africa. The Volta River is nicknamed the 'River of Return' as this is where Portuguese gold traders turned around to travel back to Portugal. This is also why the river is called Volta, as Volta is Portuguese for twist. The animal enclosure will be split into 3 areas: Carnivores in the North West, Herbivores in the South and Primates in the East.

Map: http://i.imgur.com/1JqpMZF.jpg

Exhibit Size: 4.7 acres

-Total Land Area: 178,985 sq.ft.
70% Animals
25% Visitors
5% Keepers

-Total Water Area: 28,920 sq.ft.

Complete Species List:

-Mammals - 13 species
Western Chimpanzee 3.7.0 EN
Mona Monkey 2.2.0 LC
Diana Monkey 2.2.0 VU
West African Red Colobus 1.2.0 EN, imported from Ghana for captive breeding program
Olive Baboon 3.5.0 LC
Rock Hyrax 2.3.1 LC
Pygmy Hippo 1.2.0 EN
Western Dwarf Buffalo (Forest Buffalo) 1.1.0 LC
Yellow Backed Duiker 1.1.2 LC
Bushbuck 1.3.0 LC, imported from Gladys Porter Zoo, USA
Western Hartebeest 1.4.1 NT, imported from Burkina Faso for captive breeding program
African Wild Dog 2.3.0 EN
Striped Hyena 1.1.0 NT

-Reptiles - 3 species
Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise 1.2.1 LC, found in aviary
Home's Hinge-Back Tortoise 2.1.1 VU, found in aviary
Western Slender-Snouted Crocodile 1.2.0 CR

-Birds - 5 species (all found in aviary)
Hamerkop 1.1.0 LC
Sacred Ibis 4.3.2 LC
Namaqua Dove 3.3.1 LC
Violet Turaco 2.4.0 LC
Grey Headed Kingfisher 1.1.1 LC

Total Species: 21

Total Animals: 99
61 Mammals
11 Reptiles
27 Birds

Keeper Facilities:

-There are indoor areas for all animals where keepers can enter and manage them. Each of these houses will have kitchens and research areas for keepers to operate. There is also off-show yards for some animals that keepers can operate.

- In the 'Volta Station' building there is a storage room for animal food, enrichment items and tools to be used by keepers. There are also keeper toilets in the building.

-There is a filtration system at the South West of the exhibit in the creek to stop animal waste flowing downstream.

-Staff pathways will be made out of ordinary concrete.

Visitor Facilities:

-In the main area, near the entrance, there is a large building called the 'Volta Station'. It has 2 floors. The ground floor is dedicated to a cafe and shop for visitors as well as toilets for visitors and keeper facilities. The top floor will have 2 meeting rooms for events and birthday parties. It will also have a museum area that will showcase the history of the Volta River region and also extinct animal skeletons (such as Magalotragus, Sivatherium, Homotherium, Pelorovis e.t.c.).

-The main area can also play host to events/festivals. Stalls will be set up, most of the time, to mimic a typical African marketplace. They can be taken down when needed to be.

-Toilets are located to the South East of the Main area.

-Bridges will allow visitors to cross the creek when necessary.

-Visitors can enter the walk-through aviary but are expected to keep quiet.

-Visitors cannot enter any animal house, unless they have paid for an animal experience.

-Some pathways are covered in case it there is bad weather.

-Visitor pathways will be made out of rose-colored concrete.

Animal Facilities:

-Every animal has access to indoor areas. This is so they can have some privacy. They are usually weighed, given medication and rest inside their house. Some animals have access to off-show yards.

-There will be lots of enrichment in each exhibit. For example, in the chimp enclosure there are food scatterers, artificial termite mounds for feeding and a large climbing tree structure.

-Pygmy Hippos have access to the creek and can swim in it. All other enclosure are separated from it by a low electric fence.It poses no danger to the animals lives yet stops them from escaping into the creek.

-All primates are separated from visitors by a moat surrounded by a low electric fence. However for some primate species (Mona Monkey, Diana Monkey and West African Red Colobus) there is a very tall fence round the back of the enclosure. All other animals are separated from visitors by a deep gentle sloping trench and, round the back of some enclosures, a very tall fence.

-There will be pools in some enclosures.

Interpretation

-Instead of signs around the exhibit there will instead be either a tour guide who will give information or electrical speakers that will give information. Speakers will be hidden around the exhibit by foliage.

-There will be lots of plants around the exhibit to mimic the rainforests that cover 1/3 of Ghana. There will be a lot of trees around the North/North West area of the exhibit to cover up views of the busy street behind there.

-Many of the hardwood trees that were part of this land will remain there as there are large hardwood forests surrounding the Volta River.

-Will educate people on the Volta regions history, geography and the need to stop mass deforestation in Ghana and Burkina Faso.

-Visitors will have the opportunity to buy animal experiences in the exhibit, such as:
Chimp feeding experience (12 and above)
Zookeeper for a day (16 and above)
Child's zookeeper for a day (10-16, must be accompanied by an adult)
Carnivore experience (16 and above)
Primate experience (16 and above)
Herbivore experience (16 and above)

Plants

-Trees
African Mahogany
Cedar
Giant Silk Cotton
Ceiba Pentandra
Burkea Africana
Isoberlinia Doka

-Adonidia

-Mangifera

-Murraya Paniculata

-All enclosures will be quite grassy.

Architecture

-All buildings will be styled to look like that of a rural African hut, yet of course larger and more stable.

-All buildings will have indoor heating and plumbing.

-Materials
Concrete
Thatch
Steel beams
Paint
Glass
Mud (for authentic look, only on outside)

Conservation

-Funds will be raised to help stop deforestation in West Africa and to help endangered animals there.

-Funds will also be raised to support locals in West Africa.



I hope this design of mine is better designed than my one in Competition #1, which was awful.
Click to expand...

Are there multiple pools in the hippo and croc holding buildings to separate the animals? In the case of the crocs are there incubators and raise-up areas for eggs and hatchlings? What of facilities to grow them out? Is there sufficient storage for rodents, fish and other prey items for the crocs like freezers, fridges and areas to thaw out rodents? Is there a raise up area for crickets and other bugs for hatchling crocs? Is there a prep area to prepare the thawed out rodents? Standard sink or dishwasher used to clean cutlery after chopping up rodents for smaller individuals? Are the pools heated for the crocs indoors or are you using heat lamps? Thanks :)
 
- Is the zoo located in the hot or cold climate? If all animals need winter houses, space constrains change dramatically.
- Do we need to plan filters at the outflow?
- Is keeper access road the same as visitor access road? Do keepers have other access eg. through the gates from outside the zoo?
- Can the creek function as animal moat? I assume not, because it flows in from the busy city area (pollution), which also makes filtering unnecessary (no direct contact with animal exhibits).
- Can we plan viewing points from the south across the creek?
 
11jadaway said:
-Pygmy Hippos have access to the creek and can swim in it. All other enclosure are separated from it by a low electric fence.It poses no danger to the animals lives yet stops them from escaping into the creek.
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This is tricky to do well (at best) and illegal at worst. The animals will destroy the bank causing potentially serious erosion into their enclosure and beyond; without full knowledge of the soils and of the regular and seasonal water flows in the creek it can only be an idea to explore. One also must think of the hippo waste and what happens downstream. Of course, there's no mention of restricting where they go in the creek so perhaps the hippos will end up in the sea.

I love that you gave such thought to the trees but if these survive in the UK it would only likely be in the furthest corner of Cornwall, wouldn't it? (And that is unlikely for some of them)

Take your time with your Entry in the competition and think over every aspect. Ask yourself what could go wrong. After you finish, put it aside for a few days and study it again. You have two months!
 
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Jurek7 said:
- Is the zoo located in the hot or cold climate? If all animals need winter houses, space constrains change dramatically.
- Do we need to plan filters at the outflow?
- Is keeper access road the same as visitor access road? Do keepers have other access eg. through the gates from outside the zoo?
- Can the creek function as animal moat? I assume not, because it flows in from the busy city area (pollution), which also makes filtering unnecessary (no direct contact with animal exhibits).
- Can we plan viewing points from the south across the creek?
Click to expand...

I'm letting the designer pick the climate this round.

Preferred that keeper access and visitor access not overlap.

I'll leave the creek as a moat design to the individual designers.

No, that area is already built up.
 
Gulo gulo said:
Are there multiple pools in the hippo and croc holding buildings to separate the animals? In the case of the crocs are there incubators and raise-up areas for eggs and hatchlings? What of facilities to grow them out? Is there sufficient storage for rodents, fish and other prey items for the crocs like freezers, fridges and areas to thaw out rodents? Is there a raise up area for crickets and other bugs for hatchling crocs? Is there a prep area to prepare the thawed out rodents? Standard sink or dishwasher used to clean cutlery after chopping up rodents for smaller individuals? Are the pools heated for the crocs indoors or are you using heat lamps? Thanks :)
Click to expand...

I didn't realize that much detail into the crocodile care was needed. I thought that sort of care is expected in any zoo regardless.
 
Red colobus might actually be easier to keep than we think. They eat lots of ficus, which is pretty common in horticulture. There's been a lot of progress with leaf monkeys, and no one's kept the reds since when? The 1970's? I think that they would be able to adapt to modern captivity very well.

~ Thaumatibis
 
Can somebody recommend me some program where can I make some basic sketches and/or 3D models? (Downloadable for free preferably)
 
Google SketchUp is pretty good. Its the same program that was used to make the template for this challenge. You can keep it to just a 2D layout, or 3D or both.
 
When does this need to be done by?

Also is there any extra points for replacing the existing channelized river with a more environmentally conscious green infrastructure system?

Also, anyway that you can provide a scale for your base map? Any topography that we have to worry about?
 
This looks like a fun challenge.
With regards to the no signs rule, are we to take that to mean no writing on or near exhibits? Or could written information be presented in a more integrated way?
 
FunkyGibbon said:
With regards to the no signs rule, are we to take that to mean no writing on or near exhibits? Or could written information be presented in a more integrated way?
Click to expand...

Also, is this rule pertaining to the traditional species ID signs only? Can we have "themed" signs, articles, or notices that go along with the theme of the exhibit that aren't necessarily educational signage?
 
Drew said:
Also, is this rule pertaining to the traditional species ID signs only? Can we have "themed" signs, articles, or notices that go along with the theme of the exhibit that aren't necessarily educational signage?
Click to expand...

That's fine. Certain signs are sometimes legally required.
 
FunkyGibbon said:
This looks like a fun challenge.
With regards to the no signs rule, are we to take that to mean no writing on or near exhibits? Or could written information be presented in a more integrated way?
Click to expand...

The zoo wants to get away from traditional written information. Remember, between 80 and 85% of all zoo visitors do not read signs at all.
 
Otter Lord said:
When does this need to be done by?

Also is there any extra points for replacing the existing channelized river with a more environmentally conscious green infrastructure system?

Also, anyway that you can provide a scale for your base map? Any topography that we have to worry about?
Click to expand...

November 12th.

Yes.

I can send you the SketchUp file to work with. I need to do a topographical version.
 
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