B
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4 3 1
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A SITE PLAN
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AXONOMETRIC
SECTION B-B
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CLIENT CITY OF EDMONTON ARCHITECT TEAM BARRY JOHNS, TROY SMITH, EUGENE GYORFI, LAURA PLOSZ, GRAEME JOHNS, KATRINA SZEKELY, CHAD OBERG, CHRISTIE GRAYSON STRUCTURAL WALTER CHAMBERS & ASSOCIATES LTD. MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL HEMISPHERE ENGINEERING INC. LANDSCAPE EIDOS CONSULTANTS INC. CONTRACTOR LORAC CONSTRUCTION AREA 226 M2
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SECTION C-C 1 2 3 4 5 6
OUTDOOR EXHIBITION ISLAND MOAT PUBLIC ENTRY INDOOR VIEWING AREA MAIN INDOOR EXHIBITION AREA KEEPER AREA
7 HOLDING AREA 8 ISOLATION AREA 9 MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL ROOM 10 WEST OUTDOOR EXHIBITION AREA 11 EAST OUTDOOR EXHIBITION AREA
frame the windows, serving as sills upon which the lemurs can comfortably perch and watch the world go by. The deliberately off-grid and irregular column placement reflects the randomness of trees in nature, and the columns are expressed as independent entities within the interior spaces to function as a natural play habitat for the lemurs. The zoo wanted their role to evolve as environmental stewards with respect to not just the animals but to the buildings located at the zoo. As such, the design team implemented a number of energy-saving features such as the use of solar energy and recaptured water, and a mechanical system premised on displacement ventilation and heat recovery. The use of raw, natural and
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unfinished materials not only results in much lower emission levels of VOCs but evokes the natural habitat of the lemurs, particularly enhanced by the presence of a green living wall. Because Alberta’s frenzied construction industry at the time exacerbated project delays and increased costs, initial plans for a green roof had to be scrapped due to the additional $40,000 expense. And the same budgetary constraints also meant that there was no funding to apply for LEED certification at the time of construction, but it is likely that Makira Outpost would achieve LEED standard were it submitted retroactively. Interestingly, the City of Edmonton has now mandated that from 2008 onward, all buildings it commissions must meet a minimum standard of
BUDGET $1.7 M COMPLETION JUNE 2007
LEED Silver. With so much controversy in recent years about the quality of care that animals receive in zoos around the world, this project sets a precedent for future development that should assuage the concerns of animal activists and establish more humane conditions for animals in captivity. What is clear is that staff love the facility, and the lemurs seem to also, although they haven’t verbally expressed their sentiments as such. And in recognition of the thoughtfulness and rigour of the facility’s design, Makira Outpost was recently awarded the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) prize for enrichment recognizing significant advancement in animal care. CA 02/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT
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