Amazing Zoos Showcasing Special Shelter Designs

Three new enclosures designed by German design firm Kresing were added to Petting Zoo in Ohringen, south-west Germany, as part of a larger refurbishing plan. These include two eye-catching structures which are oval shaped in plan and an open fenced green – homes for small birds, kangaroos, rheas, donkeys and alpacas.

The fact that they are eye-catching serves the purpose of visibility of the zoo from a long distance enabling it to be located easily by visitors. The quality is achieved by the distinct structures that resemble giant timber tubs which are actually elliptical enclosures enveloped by an array of roof-high Larch wood ribs that form the structural framework. Being strong, sustainable and easy to maintain naturally without spraying any chemicals that could potentially harm the animals, Larch wood was the material of choice for the designers. The framework of boldly angular ribs constructed with sturdy yet replaceable joints lends the enclosed area a freedom of choice with its treatment. Thus the aviary where small birds are housed has walls and roof of netting filling up the spaces between the ribs, while the enclosure for kangaroos and rheas has the interstices filled with timber walls and inter-connected partitions inside complete a house-within-a-house formula. A matching Larchwood fence encloses the green across the path where alpacas and donkeys are kept.

So, the birds get a habitat close to their original one, i.e. a wooded area where the open skies and greens around are visible through the net. The animals, too, get a woody abode with provision for plentiful feeding even when not out grazing on the fenced open green. The structures being designed in accordance with the height of little kids visiting the zoo, and its location at the edge of a pond creating a harmonious exchange between these manmade structures and the surrounding environment are a big draw.

A house for Thai elephants that resembles a giant tortoise shell – it could serve as the latest testament to the age-old postulate about the inter-connectedness of natural forms! Swiss design firm Markus Schietsch Architekten has designed an elephant enclosure for Zoo Zurich which sports an adhesive-bonded cross-laminated timber roof in a triangular grid pattern that tessellates itself in various sizes over the 6,800 sq. m expanse to form a flat domical shell with frill-like edges that accommodates proportionately low height glass walls under.it. The triangular apertures in the roof design are fitted with 271 ETFE plastic skylights that allow ample daylight to stream in and the timber members framing these apertures resemble branches of trees, making it blend organically with the natural forms within and without. 

Under this domical spread is an entire landscaped world of rocks, caves, trees, bamboo groves, grasses and watering holes for the pachyderms to bathe in, and even a glass walled swimming pool that affords the visitors an underwater view of the animals! This 11,000 sq. m Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park built at a cost of millions of Euros thus has a unique arrangement wherein the elephants’ social interactions develop uninterrupted by humans in the most natural habitat, and the keepers can maintain the enclosure without sharing the elephants’ space even for a short duration.

The Savannah House for African Giraffes at the Rotterdam Zoo, though slightly earlier in the chronology of construction (2008), attracts a mention on account of its unique form and for being (claimed as) the first animal shelter based on the principles of sustainability in the Netherlands. Built for these tall animals, the structure is a tall bulging cylindrical casket of thatch fillings in a concrete framework, having free access for the giraffes from the adjoining grazing greens and a comfortable viewing gallery for visitors at the opposite face.

A circular plan affords a corner-less interior ideal for the animals to avoid getting clamped by one another and enables relaxed natural interactions. The bulge reduces the feeling of being cramped by making the walls move away from the animals. Cool tools like ‘cuddle walls’ which are metal rolls warmed by burning wood impart more warmth to the animals.