Wuppertal, 2008
The Zoo’s character as a kind of landscape park is being emphasized and developed. Through improvement of the existing vegetation’s shaping, former view corridors are once again accentuated. The depression, which used to be cut off by the existing railroad embankment, is being generously extended and runs beneath the future "Sambabrücke" (Samba Bridge). The "Sambastrasse" (Samba Street) becomes an integral part of the new landscape. Fences and barriers are arranged in an unobtrusive manner, in order to emphasize the remarkable impression of the predator enclosure, even while just passing by. The "Zooturm" (Zoo Tower) is immediately visible after entering the Zoo from the "Wiesental" and is the zoo’s centre of orientation and an attraction. The vivarium is designed as a "Felswald" (rock forest). The lion enclosure is giving the impression of a wide and open savanna.
client: City of Wuppertal
area: 5.1 ha
competition (1. prize): 2003
completion: 2008
partners: rohdecan architekten GmbH / Heinle, Wischer und Partner
zoos

Baobab" observation tower

The "Baobab" was erected as a special observation tower to make the newly formed landscape tangible and, of course, above all to enable animal observation. Inserted into the scenery of an African savannah, the structure allows visitors to climb up to a platform that offers a wide panoramic view of the area.

Playground

The small playground is located in the immediate vicinity of the tiger enclosure and picks up on the theme of hiding and discovering. Animal tracks embedded in the ground guide the way from the enclosure to the new play area. Long, colourfully glazed wooden poles form a jungle with various rooms to be discovered. In the thicket, whispering tubes are used for communication. Various prey animals are hidden in the maze of poles.