Zoo architecture is one of our main areas of expertise. As a company that works closely with zoos around the world, we also deal with questions that go beyond purely architectural concerns and requirements. What responsibilities will zoological institutions have in the future and what challenges do they currently face? What is effective zoo design and what do we hope to achieve with our work?
We believe that the four primary zoo objectives – education, nature conservation, research and leisure – formulated by Heini Hediger in the mid-twentieth century still hold true today. As zoo architects, our role is to support zoos and aquariums in doing their work and to help them communicate their themes, objectives and responsibilities to visitors and generate interest in nature conservation and species protection.
Because we’re interested in supporting not only the conservation of threatened species ex situ with our work, but also believe in the importance of animal conservation in situ, we decided one year ago to sponsor Nita, a female orangutan.
We would also like to continue our commitment to species conservation in the coming year. Nita the orangutan lady is ten years old and until recently lived at the Nyaru Menteng Rescue Center on Borneo. In November, she was moved with eleven other orangutans to Salat Island, a 3,419-hectare river island. Life on the isolated island with a contiguous forest is designed to prepare the animals for a life of freedom and is the last step before their release into the wild.
The conservation program is organized by the BOS Foundation, which advocates for endangered animals and their habitats, operating rehabilitation centres, protecting rainforest areas and facilitating the release of animals back into the wild.
