In preparation for its newest guests, Copenhagen Zoo enlisted the help of Bjarke Ingels Group, Schønherr Landscape Architects, and MOE to create a welcoming habitat.
The guests in question are two pandas from Chengdu, China being sent to Denmark as a gesture of goodwill from the Chinese government after the Queen of Denmark’s visit in 2014.
The Panda House will encompass a 1,250-sm indoor site and a 1,200-sm outdoor area and sit between two existing buildings, including the Elephant House designed by Norman Foster. The habitat will take on a circular shape and is designed to make the humans feel like the visitors rather than the other way around.
The new habitat consists of two levels. On the ground floor, panda access to the interior spaces is connected by a ramp. For visitors, all interior functions on the ground floor are designed to have the landscape at eye-level in order to immerse them in the natural landscape. A restaurant will be located on the ground floor, as well, between the new Panda House and the Elephant House. Guests will be able to eat while viewing both animals simultaneously.
Rendering courtesy of BIG.
For the pandas, the upper level leads to a walk along a rocky slope through native Nordic plants and into a dense bamboo forest. In addition to the bamboo forest, the enclosure also provides a “mist forest”. The pandas will be able to move between these forests according to temperature and season.
Both ends of the habitat, which from above looks like a large yin yang symbol, are raised to allow direct views of the pandas. The building is also designed to give visitors unique insight into the work of the zookeepers.
“The habitat is formed like a giant yin and yang symbol, two halves: the male and the female, complete each other to form a single circular whole,” says Bjarke Ingels in a press release. “The curvy lines are undulating in section to create the necessary separation between him and her - as well as between them and us.”
Construction is scheduled to begin later in 2017 after the $21.5 million construction budget has been secured.
Rendering courtesy of BIG.
Rendering courtesy of BIG.
Related Stories
Sustainability | Apr 20, 2017
The American Institute of Architects select the 2017 COTE Top Ten Awards
In its 21st year, the Top Ten Awards highlight projects that exemplify the integration of great design and great performance.
Sustainability | Apr 19, 2017
Embracing the WELL Building Standard: The next step in green
When you consider that 90% of our time is spent in buildings, how these environments can contribute to workplace productivity, health, and wellness is the logical next step in the smart building movement.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 18, 2017
Hanging Gardens-inspired CLT residential development proposed for Birmingham
Garden Hill will provide an ‘oasis-like residence’ for Birmingham’s growing, multicultural student population.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 14, 2017
Nature as therapy
A famed rehab center is reconfigured to make room for more outdoor gardens, parks, and open space.
Green | Apr 14, 2017
Sunqiao looks to bring agriculture back to Shanghai’s urban landscape
Vertical farms will bring new farmable space to the city.
Sustainability | Apr 13, 2017
How to make a concrete bunker livable
SOM’s design for New York’s second Public Safety Answering Center leans on strategically placed windows and the outdoor environment.
Green | Apr 11, 2017
Passivhaus for high-rises? Research demonstrates viability of the stringent standards for tall residential buildings
A new study conducted by FXFOWLE shows that Building Teams can meet stringent Passivhaus performance standards with minimal impact to first cost and aesthetics.
Codes and Standards | Apr 6, 2017
Product-specific EPDs seen as key aid to earning green building credits
The product-specific EPDs allow designers to more quickly earn a LEED v4 credit in the Materials & Resources category.
Sustainability | Apr 4, 2017
Six connected CLT towers create an urban forest in India
The mixed-use towers would each rise 36 stories into the sky and connect via rooftop skybridges.
Green | Feb 10, 2017
Radical proposal would transform Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive and create new lakefront park space
Over 70 new acres of public space would be created between Ohio Street and North Avenue.