Designing a habitat to house New Zealand’s only snow leopards would always be challenging and technical. Architecture Workshop and the zoo client group that researched and designed the habitat are thrilled with the completed project, which opened at Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo last year, welcoming two snow leopard sisters Asha and Manju.
The project was announced as a winner in the Public Architecture category of the 2024 Wellington Architecture Awards. Architecture Workshop Principal Christopher Kelly said the project was certainly something different for the firm. The design of the specialised, multi-dimensional habitat plays a dual role in delivering both a visitor education and viewing space alongside places where the snow leopards can choose to get away from visitors and receive care from keepers.
Christopher said they had been able to extend the original sun bear habitat by another half to provide more space for the animals. The existing site was demolished with material recovered and used as fill from the previous sun bears ‘moat’ to reduce the land waste. The Zoo also stipulated as part of their sustainability specification that all timbers be Forest Stewardship Council certified.
New Zealand timber cladding company Abodo’s Vulcan Shingles were used for external treatment of the sloped Discovery Centre, where visitors can peer through large windows into a den-like section of the habitat. The timber shingles provide a varied grain depth and a texture reminiscent of mountain huts and alpine terrain familiar to the animals.
In its brief, the Zoo requested the visitor viewing area be below the elusive “almost mythical” animals, known in Nepal as ghost cats, so they could keep an overview of the terrain and feel secure. Christopher said, “The main thing was to get as big an interface between the humans as possible and make sure it was unintrusive. The Zoo already knew the steep nature of the site would be ideal for these mountain cats because they could spend plenty of time up high, looking out over the suburbs surrounding the zoo.”
“The Zoo, NL and the specialist sub-contractors put a lot of effort into it too. The visitor interest is a validation of the process we all went through.”
“The zoo created a stimulating environment to meet the specific social and physical needs of the species, with steep rock faces, cosy caves, climbing poles, fallen perching logs and different substrates.” The habitat ended up being much more visible from the visitors below than they had expected, he said. Safety requirements meant a specific stainless steel mesh had to be used, and installation required high-level engineering to install the mesh by Pinnacle Civil. “They had to make sure they could tension (the mesh) up the sides and over the top.”
Amy Hughes from Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo developed the narrative with Story Inc. to tell the snow leopards’ story and make it accessible for all ages. Architecture Workshop continued the theme anchoring the supporting cable structure with large precast buttresses that were designed in the abstract shape of mountains and detailed with snow leopard markings. Working with construction firm Naylor Love, the sequence of the build was challenging, Christopher said. As Naylor Love had to get the retaining walls and landscape completed before the mesh roof was rolled out and tensioned.”
Dan Males, the landscape architect, attended the site frequently to set out the planting and retaining wall pathways and check the view lines with Chris Jerram from Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo to get the right feel. The habitat has been hugely popular, with the Zoo reporting its highest monthly visitor numbers of 40,058 when the habitat opened, Christopher said. “The Zoo, NL and the specialist sub-contractors put a lot of effort into it too. The visitor interest is a validation of the process we all went through.”
He was pleased for the client to have the project recognised at the local architecture awards. The project now goes forward for consideration at the 2024 National NZIA Architecture Awards. The judges’ citation acknowledged the numerous elements at play in the design. “The architects have successfully juggled the spoken brief and silent needs of all involved in this project,” it read.
© Waterford Press Ltd 2024 – Independent Print Media New Zealand
