April 16, 2010
Here are some images from a just completed Houthoff Zoo Design project. Designed to prevent animals from mingling with the visitors in Rotterdam Zoo’s Asia exhibit, this construction can withstand the force of a charging elephant. It also looks nice and we like things which look nice.
First we made a steel barrier and fixed it into the concrete walls and floor. Then, taking inspiration from the existing twenty year old jungle theming, we transformed the not so pretty structure into a fallen, decomposing tree. A ‘jungley’ paint job and a scattering of lichens completed the effect.
We are not sure if the elephants will appreciate the feng shui we performed for them but we sure think it looks better than a boring metal barrier.
April 1, 2010
Main Contractor : Houthoff Zoo Design
Further on from my last post, here are some images from the completed Colobus monkey ‘rock’ house at Rotterdam Zoo. We have built a kopje rock inspired boulderscape around three sides of the structure and managed to totally hide the square dimensions of the building. Inside, the zoo building is a fully functional home for Colobus monkeys.
Kopje rock formations are found in the Serengeti of Kenya and Tanzania and can be thought of as islands on the African plain. They are havens for wildlife as they offer protection from the searing sun and offer ‘look outs’ for mammals such as cats and monkeys.
We hope we have made an authentic looking kopje outcrop and at the same time beautified an otherwise boring looking zoo building.
