Big Cat Falls at The Philadelphia Zoo - Kelly Maiello Architects

Client

The Philadelphia Zoo

Category

Civic/Cultural

New pathways lead zoo visitors through naturally-landscaped outdoor habitats for Amur tigers and leopards, lions, jaguars, cougars, and snow leopards in rotational habitats conducive to immersive, up-close animal encounters for visitors. The old lion house was adapted for multi-media presentations and back-of-house tours.

Exhibit features include:

Waterfalls, pools, and streams
Authentic plantings
A simulated research station for aspiring zoologists
Glazed pavilions that allow visitors to get close to the animals
Overhead “shift enclosures” that allow the big cats to share spaces periodically

The overpasses in Big Cat Falls helped inspire Zoo360, a series of overhead trails introduced in 2011 that allow a wide variety of animals to walk above guests and explore other parts of the zoo.

As the associate architect on EHDD’s team, KMA was responsible for construction administration and supplemental design.

Four people, including two children, observe animals through glass at a zoo exhibit. Signs and educational displays, thoughtfully arranged with interior design elements, line the wall; trees and a waterfall enhance the outdoor enclosure beyond the glass. On the left, a child touches glass while three lions rest close by; on the right, people walk along a zoo path designed with thoughtful civic architecture, reading signs amid greenery and innovative enclosures. A group of people walk along a paved path surrounded by trees, rocks, and animal enclosures at a zoo on a sunny day. An architect admires the civic focus on historic preservation as some visitors look into an enclosure on the right. Landscape architectural site plan showing buildings, pathways, walkways, bodies of water, greenery, contour lines for elevation, various trees and plants, and labeled design elements with measurements and directions for a civic project in Philadelphia.

Photo/Image credits: Halkin | Mason Photography