Bristol Zoological Society has appointed Grant Associates and Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS) to a specialist creative team that will be responsible for delivering its new vision for a world-leading zoo in the South West.
The Society looks set to develop a new, world-class Bristol Zoo at its Wild Place Project site on the northern edge of Bristol, which aims to set the standard for a modern, forward-looking zoo in the 21st century. Due to open in 2024, the new Bristol Zoo will offer spacious facilities, significant growth in conservation and education work and a ground-breaking, innovative visitor experience.
The plans will be brought to life by an award-winning team of architects, designers, engineers and environmental experts, chosen specifically for their insight and approach to this world-leading project.
Grant Associates will help Bristol Zoo to deliver the greatest possible visitor experience, through an ecosystem planning approach, optimising the sense of separation from the wider world through the effective use and enhancement of the existing native species-rich landscape, including Ancient Woodland. Grant Associates’ nature-focused approach will look to bring visitors through the animals’ domain using immersive and varied landscapes and habitats to create a memorable adventure throughout the site, with efficient and attractive connections to and from the site.
Grant Associates have been appointed as lead designers and landscape architects for the new Bristol Zoo. The practice’s ethos aligns closely with the objectives for the new Zoo – through their work, the Bath-based team aims to reconnect people with nature in insightful and distinctive ways while addressing the global challenges of urbanisation, the climate crisis and biodiversity extinction.
“We are honoured to have been given this unique opportunity to help shape the new Bristol Zoo as an inspirational centre for wildlife conservation. The Wild Place site provides a special foundation for this ambitious project and is the perfect setting to better understand our relationship with native and global nature and biodiversity. With care for animals at the heart of the designs we are excited by the prospect of developing a sensitive, ecologically diverse, creative and memorable experience for everyone.”
Andrew Grant, Founder and Director of Grant Associates
The Society has also appointed FCBS, an award-winning practice with an international reputation for design quality, a progressive architectural approach and pioneering environmental expertise with leadership and authority on the design response to the climate and biodiversity emergencies.
They will take the role of lead architects, conservation architects and renewable/zero carbon specialists with responsibility for the building design elements of the scheme, creating buildings with engaging spaces and sensitivity to external surroundings.
Bristol Zoological Society has previously worked with both Grant Associates and Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios on the development of a new conservation research centre in Madagascar, where conservationists from the Society work to protect threatened lemurs and their habitats in the wild.
To find out more about how Bristol Zoological Society is safeguarding its future, visit www.bristolzoo.org.uk/our-future.