Edmonton Valley Zoo Children's Precinct - The Above Zone Edmonton, Alberta, Canada The Marc Boutin Architectural Collaborative

摘要

The Above Zone is part of a master plan that reimagines the children's precinct of the Edmonton Valley Zoo. Designed by The Marc Boutin Architectural Collaborative (MBAC), based in Calgary, the $5 million structure is the first of four phases-dubbed Under, Between, On, and Above-which describe both the various ways different species engage with the landscape and how visitors, especially children, will encounter them. MBAC engages existing topography to create immersive spatial experiences through the air and sky to bring visitors in close contact with the animals on display by taking advantage of exterior spaces within a stand of existing pine, spruce, and Mantoba elm trees that have been part of the zoo for decades. A poetic architectural promenade climbs through the air to bring visitors in close proximity to the animals; the boardwalk-like structure loops around two open-air aviaries-inhabited by gibbons, tamarins, giant anteaters, and a variety of birds-that showcase the biodiversity of the Above realm. Open bar grating on the surface of the boardwalk filters light through the walkway to the ground below, dematerializing its surface and providing an ethereal experience that makes the visitor feel like they are climbing through the sky. The promenade connects to the main level of the Above Zone's modest 303-square-meter (3,260-square-foot) building, which has faceted wood walls that sit on a base of board-formed concrete.