north carolina zoological park children’s nature discovery center...

lcnation: Asheboro, NC
est. completion date: Easter 2009
project team:
Frank Harmon
Ashley Ozburn

project statement...

Located about 75 miles west of Raleigh in Asheboro, N.C. Zoo is nationally recognized as one of the nation’s finest zoos. It was the first American zoo designed from its inception around the "natural habitat" philosophy--presenting animals and plants in exhibits that closely resemble the habitats in which they would be found in the wild.

The Children’s Nature Discovery Center will sit on a sloping hillside in the heart of the North America section of the Zoo. The goal of the project is to build a space that provides a play experience for children in a natural environment that will develop empathy between the child and the natural world through sensory activities, close encounters with animals and plants, and self-initiated exploration. The project includes a large space for birthday celebrations, staff offices, animal holding areas, and a space designated for animal encounters and art activities. The buildings’ configuration will feature a covered porch wrapping across the front of the building overlooking the discovery site below. Sustainability features will be incorporated within the building and the site and will be used both as a way to help the environment as well as a teaching tool to instruct children how to live responsibly on the earth.

The building will sit in the middle of a larger site that is designed for absolute immersion into the natural world. Play settings such as fallen trees, mud holes, grassy hillocks, and a large play stream will be scattered throughout the site encouraging children to get dirty and explore nature. Both the building and the site itself will allow children to discover the natural world that is in their own state.

progress...

The project is in the Design Development phase. Prototype Play Settings have been constructed at the Zoo for the summer to test and observe the children’s’ response.