Wellington Zoo Chimpanzee Enclosure

Zero Carbon Design

In our latest collaboration with Isthmus Architects, NZCEL was tasked with the design of a brand-new enclosure for the chimpanzees at Wellington Zoo, the largest troupe of these beloved animals in New Zealand.

The challenge of this project, a challenge that NZCEL was happy to tackle, was to design a sustainable solution for this new enclosure. Wellington Zoo is the first certified Carbon Zero zoo in the world, and keeping to this certification was integral to this project. It was a challenge, but using recycled products allowed the design to flourish. The recycled products were sourced from all place, namely hardwood timber poles from Wellington’s old trolley bus network, ropes from CentrePort’s tugboats, and swings and hammocks made from recycled hoses donated by the Fire Service.

The opportunity to help the community with the design of this new enclosure was taken with both hands, and the opportunity of being able to keep to a zero-carbon design while protecting these extraordinary animals did not go amiss.

Photographs courtesy of Isthmus Architect