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Saturday, 29 April 2006 | Levent OZLER
Zoo Hires Frank Harmon Architect to Design New Exhibit
Frank Harmon Architect, in association with the Natural Learning Initiative, has been awarded the contract to design the North Carolina Zoological Park's future Treehouse Exhibit in Asheboro, NC, which is intended to promote the importance of animals in the lives of children and families and to enrich the zoo experience for all visitors.
According to zoo officials, the Treehouse will be an interactive zoo that provides play experiences to foster a love of nature. Within the informal, naturalistic setting of the exhibit, children will experience a variety of sensory, hands-on activities including close encounters with native animals and plants. Some of the attractions will including: Creek Play, where children alter water flow, build waterfalls, analyze water samples, explore under rocks, interact with animals, and wade in the creek; a Beaver Lodge children help to building then climb into; a variety of Gardens for digging, planting, running through a maze, crawling in secret spaces, and discovering birds and butterflies; an Animal Encounter where children pet small animals, explore wildlife, work in the "animal kitchen," view a baby animals "nursery," and pretend to be a zoo veterinarian; the Goat Paddock for petting and grooming animals; the Honeybee & Insect exhibits where children learn all about living bees; the Woodland Trail where children encounter the forest "obstacle course," make forts, and watch birds in wildlife blinds; the Treehouse with decks and rooms where animals make their homes in the trees and children play among the canopy; and the Birthday Lookout for catered parties, "zoo snoozes," and zoo camps.
The project involves the design of new and renovated facilities, pathways and infrastructure additions and modifications that support the goal of the Treehouse exhibit. The Treehouse exhibit will replace the temporary Australia exhibit and the Touch & Learn Center, and will connect to the zoo's existing Garden Friends playground.
Frank Harmon, FAIA, has extensive experience with award-winning projects that blend architecture, landscape, and exhibition design, including: the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, N.C., which was designed to promote public appreciation for the history and heritage of North Carolina pottery; the Walter B. Jones Center for the Sounds, Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Columbia, NC; and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences' Prairie Ridge Eco-Station, a hands-on teaching and outreach project that provides an educational space integrated with a natural prairie so that citizens of all ages can appreciate North Carolina's diversity of natural resources and learn about environmental stewardship.
Professor of landscape architecture Robin Moore and education specialist Nilda Cosco are the founders and key players in the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI), a research and extension unit of N.C. State University's College of Design, which promotes the importance of the natural environment in the daily experience of children. Moore and Cosco have become recognized leaders in a nation-wide movement to create stimulating places for play, learning, and environmental education. These include the Hammill Family Play Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, in Illinois, which received the American Zoo & Aquarium Association's 2002 Exhibit Award.
Harmon and the NLI are also currently collaborating on the Visitor's Center and Outdoor Educational Facility at Merchants Millpond State Park in Gatesville, which will cater to children and families and include auditorium, classrooms, exhibition spaces, and trails to outdoor classrooms.
Frank Harmon Architect: http://www.dexigner.com/directory/detail/7788/
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