April 10 2007
A new £4.5million enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo, designed by Cooper Cromar, has just gone on site. The new facility, which will house fifty chimpanzees, consists of three pods or houses links by bridges and tunnels and connected to an external enclosure.
The public will be able to get closer to the chimps; a public route will weave between the pods and an interpretation space will be used to explain the conservation programme that Edinburgh Zoo is sponsoring in Uganda while a flexible 200-seat auditorium will provide AV footage of the project.
Each pod will have a different form and light levels, but all of the pods will be primarily top lit. One will include climbing bars within the rood space. There will also be five private bedrooms for the chimps.
The new building will also include a small corporate facility and retail space, a keeper’s office, a storeroom and a food preparation area. The new chimp house is due to open in December.
