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
| Apr 16, 2013
5 projects that profited from insulated metal panels
From an orchid-shaped visitor center to California’s largest public works project, each of these projects benefited from IMP technology.
| Apr 12, 2013
Nation's first 'food forest' planned in Seattle
Seattle's Beacon Food Forest project is transforming a seven-acre lot in the city’s Beacon Hill neighborhood into a self-sustaining, edible public park.
| Apr 10, 2013
23 things you need to know about charter schools
Charter schools are growing like Topsy. But don’t jump on board unless you know what you’re getting into.
| Apr 8, 2013
Most daylight harvesting schemes fall short of performance goals, says study
Analysis of daylighting control systems in 20 office and public spaces shows that while the automatic daylighting harvesting schemes are helping to reduce lighting energy, most are not achieving optimal performance, according to a new study by the Energy Center of Wisconsin.
| Apr 2, 2013
Green building consultant explores the truth about green building performance in new book
A new book from leading sustainability, green building author and expert Jerry Yudelson challenges assumptions about the value of sustainable design and environmentally-friendly buildings.
| Apr 1, 2013
Half of building owners use 'smart' technologies, says survey
A survey of 291 building owners by IDC Energy Insights shows that 50% of owners use smart building technologies, such as HVAC controls, lighting controls, and analytics/data management.
| Mar 29, 2013
Stanford researchers develop nanophotonic panel that reflects sun's heat out of the atmosphere
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a nanophotonic material that not only reflects sunlight, but actually beams the thermal energy out of the earth's atmosphere.
| Mar 27, 2013
Small but mighty: Berkeley public library’s net-zero gem
The Building Team for Berkeley, Calif.’s new 9,500-sf West Branch library aims to achieve net-zero—and possibly net-positive—energy performance with the help of clever passive design techniques.
| Mar 22, 2013
Earn $500 as a DOE proposal reviewer
The DOE'S Building Technologies Office this morning put out a call to the AEC industry for expert reviewers for its new energy-efficiency initiative for small commercial buildings, which make up more than 90% of the commercial building stock.
