Columbian Park Zoo Receives INASLA Honor Award for Unbuilt Works

October, 2005

While construction of the renovated zoo continues, the design team and all those involved with the Zoo celebrated the recognition of their efforts to date. Congratulations to the Columbian Park Zoo for its achievement in excellent design as it continues to provide an invaluable service to its community.

The following narrative accompanied the award entry.

Background

The Columbian Park Zoo has been an integral part of Columbian Park and the Lafayette community for nearly a century. Situated within the 40-acre park, the Zoo anchors an active recreation zone with its own unique energy. Here, the hoots and hollers are as likely to come from a Gibbon or New Guinea Singing Dog as from a child or adult. Zoo patrons are diverse groups, individuals, organizations, and passersby of all ages who take advantage of the many opportunities for learning and recreation.

In the Zoo's formative years, the animal collection, and subsequently the holding facilities and enclosures, developed by opportunity and circumstance. Today, the collection is primarily influenced by staff interest, conservation contribution, and educational programming. The transition to a more program-driven collection and the desire to gain accreditation by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association provided the impetus for the rebirth of the Zoo. The new Zoo will join many disparate parts into a unified whole that respects the park's rich history while creating facilities that exceed contemporary standards for zoo development.

Role of the Landscape Architect

The Design Team commissioned in 2003 to shape the new vision for the Zoo brought together the "right kind of animal" to meet the client's unique challenge. Dubbed the "prairie dog" of the team, recalling the animal's spirit of cooperation, community-building, and preservation of resources, the Landscape Architect was instrumental in the design of each component of the new Zoo. The Landscape Architect facilitated a two-day design charette with Parks Department and Zoo staff in which site inventory and analysis, programming, and research culminated into a vision for the new Zoo. The conceptual master plan that resulted from this collaboration was refined into the final Zoo Master Plan, followed by a detailed phasing study. The Landscape Architect was then responsible for design development, detailed cost estimates, and illustrations of the new Zoo's exhibit zones to be used in support of fund-raising efforts.

Design Solution

Two main drives bisecting the park have recently been converted to pedestrian promenades and link the Zoo to surrounding family-oriented features. The axes created by the orientation of these elements and others, including the new Zoo's visitor entrance, converge at the "heart of the park." The proposed Site Master Plan seeks to develop a unique experience that relates sensitively to the functional and aesthetic aspects of the surrounding park setting.

From the main gate, flanked by the administrative offices and gift shop, visitors will be drawn into a unique, diverse zoo experience laced with water features, sculpture and themed landscapes and culminating in a garden, seasonal butterfly exhibit, and interactive fountain at the Zoo's center. The new Zoo will be organized into six themed exhibit zones—three zones organized by species (Primates, Cats and Birds), and three zones by geography (the Americas, Australia and Africa). Circulation within the Zoo allows visitors to interact with the exhibits at various levels, from casual observation on primary thoroughfares to playful imitation at interactive nodes and adventurous immersion within the exhibit zones.

Unique Aspects

One of the most exciting sources of inspiration for the new Zoo is the tremendous sense of cultural heritage associated with the park and Zoo. The design seeks to honor this rich heritage in various forms. Using ornamental metal picket rather than stockade-type fencing along the Zoo's perimeter celebrates its interconnectedness with the park and the community. Sculptural elements like the "Wetland Food Chain" water feature create opportunities to showcase the work of local artists while educating visitors about some of the marvelous creatures native to Indiana. Antique pavers recovered from City streets are a textural link to the past and strengthen the Zoo's message of conservation of resources. Protecting mature trees by creatively locating low-impact exhibits creates a sizable challenge on a small site but preserves and embraces the park's historic character.

In a tight, complex site such as the Columbian Park Zoo, where over twenty outdoor exhibits will share only 5.4 acres with the dozen plus structures that support the Zoo's activities, accommodating the needs of the animals and staff while creating a sense of immersion poses a tremendous design challenge. Transitional spaces beyond the enclosures, such as common nodes and circulation routes play roles equally important to the individual exhibits in capturing the imagination of visitors. In each case, the Zoo continually inspires curiosity and offers opportunities for interpretation and discovery for visitors of all ages.