Designing Zoos

Mammoths at the Zoo?

Recently, I was invited to guest-blog over at Blooloop.com‘s site, Bemusement. Blooloop caters to the attractions industry as a whole, but is committed to increasing coverage of zoos and aquariums. Because many of Bemusement’s readers are unfamiliar with the vast challenges facing zoos on a day-to-day basis, I wanted my first post to serve as … Continue reading »

Designing for Lemur Conservation

In follow up to my visit to the Lemur Conservation Foundation, a final year landscape architecture student has dedicated his senior capstone to the future planning of the facility. Take a look at his work here: Conservation Is Our Middle Name: Meet Jabari Taylor.

Spring Giveaway!

UPDATE 5/13: Congratulations Milo! Springtime brings the colorful resurgence of warmth and the happy reminder that summer is just around the corner! Springtime also brings smiles and sleepy bears emerging from their winter slumber. Appropriately, the DesigningZoos.com spring giveaway is a signed copy of Else Poulsen’s “Smiling Bears: A Zookeeper Explores the Behaviour and Emotional … Continue reading »

Interactivity and Zoos

A recent article by Wayne LaBar, the founder and principal at Alchemy Studios, outlined some of the growing trends in interactivity in museums…and got me to thinking: Are these also trends we are seeing in zoos and aquariums? If not, should they be? Certainly, interactivity in experience and educational opportunities are important aspects of zoo … Continue reading »

Lincoln Park Zoo: Defining an Urban Zoo

Character and ambience are often noticed subconsciously, defining the feeling of a place; contributing to the brand. Most people recognize historical charm or modernist style, and may understand their predilection for a certain design aesthetic. Oftentimes, these predilections are borne from a person’s associations with comfort and happiness, as in a childhood home or the … Continue reading »

Balancing Education and Entertainment in Zoo Design

By Cray Shellenbarger Zoo design is as difficult a task as any. We attempt to set criteria based upon needs of animals, visitors, zoo staff and zoo administrators. One of the biggest issues I see is the balance between education and entertainment. Zoos generally advertise themselves as promoting education and conservation, but as designers we … Continue reading »

Visitors: An Overlooked Species at the Zoo

By Eileen Ostermeier Zoos have long been at the forefront of animal research, but only recently have they started conducting studies on another important but relatively overlooked species: their visitors. For decades, museums, science centers, theme parks and National Parks have been studying their visitors – long before the practice was seen as useful in … Continue reading »

Study Shows Captive Dolphins Benefit from Interaction Programs & Shows

The perceived high level of intelligence in dolphins often makes them the center of controversy, especially in relation to captivity. Recently, the activism spotlight has focused on the horrific practices in Japanese fishing town, Taiji, where pods of cetaceans, including pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins, are driven into a ‘killing lagoon’ for slaughter or collection … Continue reading »

New Year’s Giveaway!

Update: Congratulations to Mark! Watch out for more upcoming giveaways. Whether you were counting down the days or holding onto the fleeting moments of good ole’ 2012 clawing and scratching like a cat pushed into a crate on the way to the vet’s office, we welcome you now into the present…into 2013! To celebrate, DesigningZoos.com … Continue reading »