ZOO DESIGN
Guests learn how challenges to arctic environments affect the wildlife
Designed as an imaginary town on the edge of the arctic wilderness, Glacier Run is mod- elled on the real town of Churchill, Canada, the polar bear capital of the world where people and wildlife have learned to co-exist. The exhibit offers spectacular views, capti- vating stories of the arctic and opportunities for close-up encounters with polar bears, grizzly bears, seals and sea lions. Guests can interact with zookeepers,
learn about current challenges to arctic environments and animals and discover how incremental changes in our every- day activities and behaviours can make a difference to the planet and wildlife. The exhibit’s story shows how melting glaciers
Glacier Run, Louisville Zoo, USA
destroyed a roadway in the town and fl ooded the old mine quarry, which has become the bear pool. The idea for the $25m (£15.6m, 17.5m)
town came from PGAV Destination Planning. The company worked with the staff at Louisville Zoo and Polar Bears International, a research association based in Churchill. Weber Group designed
and built the town and the branded and themed environments, working with local architect Arrasmith, Judd, Rapp and Chovan and Whittenberg Construction. The exhibit includes immersive media
content, providing information on bear behaviours, habitat, conversation and cli- mate change. The bears are housed and exhibited in habitats designed to engage visitors and provide opportunities for inter- action. For example, a vintage Ford truck holds polar and brown bears in the back. Visitors sitting in the cab can view the bears up close and feel their weight on the truck’s shocks, though they are separated by a thick glass wall.
including a Thomas & Friends ride and a new interactive maze called Eden’s Eye. The Smiths have updated the zoo, work-
Drusillas Park, UK
Drusillas Park, East Sussex, UK only cov- ers 16 acres of land, so everything about the design has been geared to limited space and younger children. Its own- ers, Laurence and Christine Smith, have concentrated on small exotic animals such as meerkats, monkeys, lemurs and penguins and ensured that everything is child orientated, from the animal viewing opportunities to the easy and accessi- ble zoo route. The furthest walk from one enclosure to another is 150ft (48m).
40 The 120 species include squirrel monkeys Drusillas opened in 1925 as tearooms
with a few animals, including Tarzan the chimpanzee and Georgina the ring-tailed lemur. The Smiths bought the park in 1997 and have spent the last 15 years creating a child-friendly zoo with an emphasis on hands-on learning. Now the zoo has more than 120 different species and attractions
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
ing with suppliers and designers including Western Log Group and Meticulous Ltd. “Change and improvement is essential
in this business,” says Laurence Smith. “Good design is also essential in today’s competitive marketplace. Visitors rightly expect a high standard of design, from the toilets through to new animal enclosures and attractions.” Smith believes that the zoo’s design ori-
entated attention to detail was one of the main reasons that Drusillas won the South East England Large Visitor Attraction of the Year Award in 2011. “Good design is a more expensive route to go down,” he says, “but it’s an important route.” ●
AM 3 2012 ©cybertrek 2012
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