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
| Jul 10, 2014
New tool aggregates LEED project info for over 150 countries
The U.S. Green Building Council announced the launch of an expanded online data visualization resource that will allow any user to access aggregated LEED green building project information in the more than 150 countries with LEED projects.
| Jul 2, 2014
Emerging trends in commercial flooring
Rectangular tiles, digital graphic applications, the resurgence of terrazzo, and product transparency headline today’s commercial flooring trends.
| Jun 30, 2014
4 design concepts that remake the urban farmer's market
The American Institute of Architects held a competition to solve the farmer's markets' biggest design dilemma: lightweight, bland canopies that although convenient, does not protect much from the elements.
| Jun 30, 2014
OMA's The Interlace honored as one of the world's most 'community-friendly' high-rises
The 1,040-unit apartment complex in Singapore has won the inaugural Urban Habitat award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which highlights projects that demonstrate a positive contribution to the surrounding environment.
| Jun 19, 2014
First Look: 10 Design unveils new luxury apartments plan in Dubai
The Seventh Heaven complex features a stepped form that will offer stunning views of the Dubai skyline.
| Jun 19, 2014
Singapore's 'Tree House' vertical gardens break Guinness World Record
The high-rise development will have a 24,638-sf vertical garden, breaking a Guinness World Record.
| Jun 18, 2014
Largest Passive House structure in the U.S. to be built in Oregon
Orchards at Orenco, a 57-unit affordable housing complex in Hillsboro, Oregon, is the first of a three-phase, three-building complex.
| Jun 12, 2014
SmithGroup finishes 100th LEED-certified project
With the construction of the LEED-NC Platinum Oakland University Human Health Building, constructed in Rochester, Michigan, SmithGroupJJR recently achieved its 100th LEED certified project.
| Jun 11, 2014
David Adjaye’s housing project in Sugar Hill nears completion
A new development in New York's historic Sugar Hill district nears completion, designed to be an icon for the neighborhood's rich history.
| Jun 2, 2014
Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages
The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.