Architecture workshop set out to achieve three things that were enhanced by the callaborative dialogue.

1. Enhance the Zoo visitor experience
By offering various ways to engage with the extended landscape (collaboration with the Local Collective)

2. Make a comfortable landscape for the very private and elusive snow leopards
With the cleint we closely studied the precedent of the Drysden zoo to unfussily integrate the animal care with the landscape.

We resolved quiet structural details with Dunning thornton Consulants to make the enclosure mesh ‘disappear’ as much as possible. The idea was to incorporate the butressed precast structure to extend the snow leapoard narrative on the lower path.

3. And of course exceed our client expectations.
This entailed the continual development of options to uncover the nuances of the breif back an dfroth in close collaboration with the zoo client group .

See excepts from the 2023 annual zoo report following.

This capital project was included in the Wellington City Council’s long-term plan, with the Council committing $4m towards the project. We partnered with Naylor Love, Story Inc, and Architecture Workshop to deliver the project. Construction started in December 2021 and
was completed in April 2023.

Habitat
The ideal spot for Snow Leopards in the Zoo was the old Sun Bear habitat which had been empty for about nine years. We already knew the steep nature of the site would be ideal for these mountain cats because they could spend plenty of time up high, looking out over the suburbs surrounding the Zoo. We created a stimulating environment to meet the distinct social and physical needs of the species, with steep rock faces, cosy caves, climbing poles, fallen perching logs, and different substrates. Planting was carefully considered, including trees that will grow to provide areas of shade. The dens are climate controlled and the cat caves in the visitor space are built into the ground to ensure a cool refuge at all times of the year without the need for additional cooling.

Animal Service Area
Alongside the new habitat, we were also able to design a brand-new animal service area. This meant we could tailor the space with staff safety, ease of use, and care and welfare of the Snow Leopards top of mind. We included new features, such as fold-down beds (so if the animals need to be anaesthetised the beds can be folded down ahead of time, and the Animal Care team do not need to try and lift a cat off a high bed) and replicated existing systems that the Animal Care team know work well.

Visitor Area
The Snow Leopard habitat is designed to make sense as part of the Asia Precinct at the Zoo, between the Sun Bears and the Red Pandas. A key principle of design is how the landscape creates spaces for the Snow Leopards to feel comfortable while also allowing visitors great viewing opportunities. The elusive nature of the species is highlighted with hidden Snow Leopards etched into the big concrete mountains and outlined on signage at the habitat. Off the main path, we have a dedicated discovery cave with some interpretive media, which is also where visitors can see up close into the Snow Leopard caves. Local members of Wellington’s Nepali community have recorded audio stories from Nepal as part of the visitor experience.

Sustainable Building
Environmental sustainability is incredibly important to us and is built into all tender documents and contracts for construction projects at the Zoo. We used Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber throughout the project, despite the difficulty of sourcing materials during COVID-19. There is extensive mock-rock work in the habitat, produced with the caveat that this had no polystyrene involved. Other material decisions made for the project included the use of recycled soft plastic for the beds and sleeping cubbies in the animal dens, LED lights, and recycled fencing from the old Sun Bear habitat.

Visitor Experience
In the two and a half months since the Snow Leopard habitat was opened it has completely transformed the Zoo experience. Since day one, both Asha and Manju have been out and about exploring and finding their own preferred high spots for resting. We have glass viewing along the front of the habitat and while that is still being used, a large number of visitors are standing back so they can see the whole habitat at once.

The habitat opening attracted a lot of media interest, with an estimated 250 million plus earned media reach in the first three days. With the arrival of the Snow Leopards, we had our highest-ever month of visitation with 40,058 visitors in April. This is even more impressive given that the Snow Leopard habitat only opened halfway through the month. Our visitor surveys showed that around a third of our visitors explicitly stated that their reason for visiting was to see the Snow Leopards. We set retail records in the Zoo shop and completely sold out
of Snow Leopard soft toys.

Community Fundraising and Funding
We were fortunate to negotiate a fixed-price contract with Naylor Love who delivered the Snow Leopard habitat project – a considerable achievement during the height of COVID-19 and the supply chain challenges all projects were facing around this time. This provided cost certainty for the Zoo.

In total, we raised a record $2.3 million for the Snow Leopard project, 38% of the total cost of the project

Awards

NZIA Architecture Wellington Regional Award, Public Architecture Category, 2024

Credits

Zoo Client Team: Karen Fifield, Amy Hughes, Chris Jerram

Structural Engineer Dunning Thornton Consultants: Chris Speed

Geotechnical Engineer TetraTech Coffey: Chris Dutil

Quantity Surveyor Maltbys Ltd: Kannie Rajan, Sharin Fox, David Morriss

Local Landscape Architecture Collective: Dan Males, Carolina Daly

Services 335 Ltd: Dave Riddel, Paul James

Architect Architecture Workshop. Christopher Kelly, Sam Ellis, Nigel James, Victoria Wright, Graduates Charlie Devine & Eleni Timoteo.

Contractor Naylor Love Wellington: Dan Bartrum, Perdita Barnes, Russell Burley