Toledo Zoo, the watering hole : pachyderm expansion/Savanna retrofit

Zoological Gardens are visited each day by numerous people throughout the world. “More than 134 million people visit accredited zoos and aquariums in the United States every year” (Lee). The progress that has accord to the aesthetic of the exhibits has played an important role in the development of what is today’s modern zoo. The more realistic the habitat of the specie is the better off it is for the specie, the visitor, and the keeper. According to Ray Robinson, from theUniversity of Michigan: A good zoo exhibit is about people, animals, and plants. It is an exhibit that makes people feel good about the animal, understand the animal/plant/people relationship, and educates the zoo visitor about major concepts of conservation. A goodzoo exhibit is fun for the zoo visitor (1985). A zoo exhibit is not just something for visitors to gaze upon; it is an experience for visitors to identify with by placing themselves within the habitat of the animals. This study of zoological design proposes to design an exhibit in such a way that the animals, zoo keepers, and visitors are all able to interact and learn from one another. The interaction between these three users groups are in conflict with one another. The visitor wants to view the animals in action; the keepers want their safety with the animals, and the animals need their privacy and solitude. The study will look at several case studies, current developments, and historical presidencies to make a case for modern zoological design. Zoo’s today need to be interactive, educational, and safe for all age and demographic groups. According to Kenneth Polakowski, from the University of Michigan: It is the designer’s task to get the visitors involved with the exhibit to the highest level of interaction. The viewers must be encouraged to experience the zoo beyond the mere level of reacting to physical sensations. They must be enticed to interact at the perceptual level; where strong mental images are formed through the processing and organization of all the sensations that they experience. The educational goal of the designer is to produce an intellectual reaction…(1987).College of Architecture and PlanningThesis (B.L.A.