MN Zoological Garden Heart exterior 1
MN Zoological Garden Heart exterior 2
MN Zoological Garden Heart interior 3
MN Zoological Garden Heart interior 4
MN Zoological Garden Heart exterior 5
MN Zoological Garden Heart exterior 6
Overview
Minnesota Zoological Garden
Heart of the Zoo
Heart of the Zoo
Apple Valley, Minnesota
Apple Valley, Minnesota
A beautiful project in which the architecture becomes a backdrop for the landscape and the experiential environments within. This is a spirited transformation of older buildings into a place of new vitality.
AIA Minnesota Honor Awards Jury
Overview
The 110,000-square-foot Heart of the Zoo Entry pavilion is part of an overall plan to improve the visitor experience with infrastructure upgrades, three new animal exhibits, and a reconfigured entry. Phased construction includes the Education Building renovation (Phase I), new Entry Pavilion (Phase II), and parking reconfiguration (Phase III).
The centerpiece is the Entry Pavilion, which serves as the central orientation point for the entire Zoo. The pavilion connects existing education, food services and administration buildings while incorporating functional architectural detailing that allows the planned Penguins, Macaque and Kopje exhibits to take center stage. Materials include durable concrete floors, white ceilings, wood siding, and expansive window walls that open the interior to the zoo grounds.
Sustainable design
The architecture share the zoo's green story with sustainably harvested wood siding, energy-efficient HVAC systems, natural ventilation, daylighting strategies, photovoltaics (PV), and wind turbines.
