Masterplan

Transcription

Masterplan

author
Dipl.Ing. Monika Fiby, MLA
Landscape Architecture, Consulting, Zoo Design
Sobieskigasse 9/12, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Fon/Fax +43-1-3101060
[email protected]
content
Landscape Architecture, Consulting, Zoo Design:
Monika Fiby
Helsinki Zoo working group members:
Ailio Katja
Blomqvist Leif
Holma Paula
Joutsenniemi Jannika
Kurki Hanna
Lehmonen Mari
Priha Marjo
Pynnönen-Oudman Kirsi
Rosquist Ulla
Rudbäck Eeva
Trontti Nina
Väätänen Aija
Vuori Taru
City Department of Public Works working group members:
Haapanen Jaakko
Oudman Arend
Graphics, photos, analysis:
Helsinki Zoo archives
Monika Fiby, Landscape Architecture, Consulting, Zoo Design
Hiroko Kivirinta, Environment and Architecture, WSP Finland Oy.
Graphics and photos marked with © may only be reproduced
with the approval of the copyright owner.
Graphic design:
Leena Kisonen, Design Studio, WSP Finland Oy
2
helsinki zoo master plan 2012–2022
Co n t e n t s
Executive Summary
5
Vision5
Goals5
Section 1: introductory
1. Helsinki Zoo –
The whole world on one island 6
8. Visitor experience28
8.1.
8.2.
8.3.
8.4.
8.5.
8.6.
Visitor needs 28
Restaurants and kiosks 30
Picnic 32
Toilets 33
Orientation 35
Circulation 36
6
9. Animal exhibits39
2. Driving forces 9
2.1. International obligations
9
2.2. National legislation9
2.3. Local opportunities9
3. Goals 10
3.1.
3.2.
3.3.
3.4.
From Zoo to Biopark
10
Four Seasons Zoo
12
Visitor Experience13
Research13
Section 2: strategic plan
12
4. Natural heritage14
4.1. Surface 14
4.2. Shores 14
4.3. Vistas 14
5. Cultural heritage16
9.1. Seal Harbour 40
9.2. Alpine Goats 42
9.3. Cat Valley 45
9.4. Camel Heights 46
9.5. Monkeys47
9.6. Finnish Forest 48
9.7. Rabbits 49
9.8. European Bison 50
9.9. Bears Bay 51
9.10. Parrot Landing, Amazonia, Africasia 52
9.11. Nocturama, Vicuna Heights 54
9.12. Kea Canyon, Conservation Centre 55
10. Animal management
10.1.
10.2.
10.3.
10.4.
10.5.
56
Conservation 56
Wildlife rescue 56
Animal enrichment 57
Domestic animals and pets 57
Off-exhibit holding 58
18
11. Winter attractions59
6.1. Current access 18
6.2. Future access 21
12. Wetland 60
6. Reaching the island
7. Welcome to the Zoo
7.1.
7.2.
7.3.
7.4.
22
Public space and zoo ground 22
Indoor space program 24
Priorities25
Logistics 27
12.1.
12.2.
12.3.
12.4.
12.5.
13. Hylkysaari island 64
13.1. Algae House 65
14. Communication67
15. Conservation education
15.1.
15.2.
15.3.
15.4.
68
Nature School68
Performances68
Exhibitions69
Interactive exhibit interpretation
69
16. Nature play70
16.1.
16.2.
16.3.
16.4.
Informal nature play 70
Theme playgrounds 71
Finnish Forest recreation area 72
Beach73
17. The zoo as a work place
17.1.
17.2.
17.3.
17.4.
17.5.
75
Staff development 75
Service traffic 75
Storage for construction materials 75
Indoor space77
Project management 77
18. Sustainability78
References80
Surface60
Sewers60
Stormwater treatment
61
Stormwater projects
61
Wetland South62
3
4
E x e c u t i v e S u m m a ry
The strategic plan for Helsinki Zoo describes
the desirable direction for its development during the next 10 to 15 years. It will help to get
political support, to find partners and sponsors
and to schedule projects as appropriate.
Vision
The planned developments will transform Helsinki Zoo into a Biopark. More demonstrations
and exhibitions will be developed to reach larger audiences with conservation messages. More
interactive interpretation will be offered at the
animal exhibits. More off-exhibit space will be
prepared for conservation breeding. More sustainable practices will be included into daily
operations, such as stormwater retention and
treatment. The natural landscape of the island
will be restored and preserved. Hylkysaari island will become a Baltic Sea interpretation
centre for Helsinki Zoo visitors.
Goals
A million visitors per year, more evenly distributed over the seasons is a long term goal, in
order to strengthen the financial base and to
increase the impact of Helsinki Zoo on the edu-
cation of visitors and conservation of endangered species. To reach this goal, accessibility to
the zoo will be improved within the urban development of the City of Helsinki. New visitor facilities at the entrance will create an inviting first
impression of the Zoo. The Zoo’s location on an
island gives it a special character and has created
a unique image. New attractions on Korkeasaari
and Hylkysaari will take full advantage of the
zoo’s maritime surroundings. The quality and
quantity of visitor attractions and service will be
increased.
Easier orientation and circulation will improve
visitors satisfaction, particularly for first time
and infrequent visitors. Animal exhibits that
promote natural animal behaviour and breeding, excellent visitor facilities, themed playgrounds, special events and strong marketing
will increase visitor satisfaction and the number
of repeat visits. Visitors will appreciate the innovation of a special winter path with indoor and
sheltered spaces along their journey. Part of the
winter path will be completely indoors, from a
Conservation Centre at the entrance to the “Hot
Heart” of the zoo with its tropical halls. These
measures will potentially increase stay time and
visitor numbers on cold and rainy days.
Strong competition from other leisure attractions means that interpretation at the zoo has
to become playful and interactive and communication has to compete for attention with other
media that people use every day. Multimedia
technologies will be used for more flexible and
exciting communication with the visitors.
Helsinki Zoo’s development aims at creating
memorable experiences and education about
topics that are relevant for Fins and international tourists, as well as at becoming more effective in conservation activities, from breeding
of endangered species and research to supporting in-situ conservation of threatened species
and their habitats.
5
Section 1: Introductory
1. Helsinki Zoo
- Th e w h o l e w o r l d
on one island
The location on an island is very unique for a
zoo. The zoo therefore advertises that visitors
can see animals from around the world on one
island. Moreover, the number of international
tourists visiting Helsinki Zoo has increased.
Helsinki Zoo is one of the major tourist destinations in Finland and the second most popular one in Helsinki. The strategic plan therefore
aims at facilitating orientation for the first time
and foreign language visitor and at improving
the general visitor experience.
The location on an island has the advantage
that no exterior fence is necessary, vandalism is
very low and views are open all around. Korkea
saari island therefore had been a public city
park for a long time.
Zoo in winter, view towards Suomenlinna.
6
Traditionally, the shore has been used for
picnic, but not as part of the zoo experience.
The strategic plan proposes new animal attractions and recreation areas that integrate
the sea in the design and highlight views from
and to the island.
The disadvantage of the location on an island is
accessibility. The ferry ride from the city centre
to the zoo is considered a nice experience, but
used by a decreasing share of visitors. Being part
of the archipelago of Helsinki, Korkeasaari island
should be included in the public ferry network.
The walk across the bridge is not convenient.
New means of transport and a new entrance
area are therefore proposed.
7
8
2. Driving forces
Helsinki Zoo is owned by the City of Helsinki
and is subject to its policies. The zoo is part of
a national and international professional network that influences its development too.
2.1. International obligations
Responsible holding of exotic animal species in
Europe requires partnerships with similar institutions and international exchange on new
findings about state-of-the-art animal care.
Helsinki Zoo therefore is a member of the relevant international organizations. This implies
opportunities and obligations.
The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria
(EAZA), represents and links more than 300
member institutions in 35 countries. Being a
member of EAZA means to fulfil certain standards of animal husbandry and to participate in
animal breeding programs. EAZA may restrict
Helsinki Zoo’s choice of animal species or individuals and push the Zoo to keep certain
animal species or individuals. The animal collection and space requirements for breeding
groups is certainly influenced by EAZA recommendations. The trends ask for larger group
size, more flexibility with shifting animals between enclosures and for more holding space
behind the scenes.
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(WAZA) is the unifying organization for the
world zoo and aquarium community. It defines
the responsibilities of the world’s zoos and
aquaria in regard to the conservation of the diversity of global wildlife. All members (such as
Helsinki Zoo) are obliged to comply with WAZA’s Code of Ethics and Animal Welfare. WAZA
assists in representing zoological gardens and
aquariums in international organizations and
assemblies such as IUCN.
• R aise public awareness on the conservation of biodiversity by providing information on the species and
their native habitats.
The International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) supports scientific research,
manages field projects all over the world and
brings governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies
and local communities together to develop and
implement policy, laws and best practice.
• Maintain a register of the animals at the zoo.
WAZA and IUCN thus are lobbying institutions
that have an impact on the zoos’ future. The
availability of exotic animal species and possibilities for in-situ zoo conservation projects
(research and breeding for wild populations)
increasingly depend on their collaboration with
government organizations.
2.3. Local opportunities
Helsinki Zoo is involved in in-situ conservation
projects such as the Golden lion tamarin project in Brazil, Alta foundation for the conservation of the Amur leopard, Foundation Lutreola
in Estonia for the European mink, and an Alpine ibex restocking project in Austria.
2.2. National legislation
EU Directive 1999/22/CE, 29/03 was implemented into the national legislation in 2003 and
means following obligations for Helsinki Zoo:
• Work for the conservation of species and preservation of biodiversity by participating in any of the
following: research on conservation, exchange of information on the conservation of species, projects for
reproduction in captivity, re-population, reintroduction of species to the wild.
Animal exhibits have to be designed according
to the minimum welfare requirements stated
in the zoo animal welfare act (asetus nro 2/
EEO/2003) of national legislation.
Being part of the administration of the City
of Helsinki, the zoo has a special obligation to
serve the city population as a place for recreation, education and native wild animal rescue.
The rescue centre is located on Palosaari which
is a perfect location for this purpose, since it is
close to the zoo, but not accessible for visitors.
However, the rescue centre activities are hardly
known by the population. Informing the public
on a regular basis about this field of work is a
goal for the future.
ly innovative and appropriate for Helsinki Zoo.
It was the idea of a special winter path that was
proposed by the French team TN+. The team proposed that visitors should be offered a path with
attractions that are not available in summer and
therefore offer a special incentive to come to the
zoo in winter – during an otherwise unattractive
period of time. This idea was further developed
for the strategic plan.
In 2010, the City of Helsinki was appointed
World Design Capital 2012. The appointment
is based on accomplishments and commitment
to design as an effective tool for social, cultural
and economic development and aims at promoting the impact of design on quality of life.
In this context, the city initiated a competition to award projects that will be developed
for 2012. The winning projects then will receive
financial support for realization. Helsinki Zoo
submitted several projects, such as the design
of a special street train that will run service
from the Kalasatama metro station to the zoo.
The zoo has become an important topic for the
City of Helsinki in the context of the development of the city areas Kalasatama and Kruunuvuorenranta for residential use. Particularly the
bridge that will connect Kalasatama with Mustikkamaa by 2013 has the potential to improve
accessibility to the zoo. In order to answer the
challenges of a potentially rising number of visitors and a new access situation, the City of Helsinki held a closed landscape architectural ideas
competition in 2008. While some ideas resulting
from the competition were quite common or, on
the contrary, unrealistic, one idea was particular-
9
3 . G oa l s
3.1. From Zoo to Biopark
Helsinki Zoo will strengthen its efforts in biodiversity conservation, research, conservation
education and sustainable operations.
• The Zoo will associate with external conservation programs to gain a stronger impact on environmental and
conservation issues.
• The animal collection will focus on species that are important for international breeding programs, good ambassadors for their wild counterparts and natural habitats, important for the zoo’s education programs with
respect to taxonomy, biodiversity and adaptations.
• Participation in national and international conservation
programs such as EAZA conservation campaigns, the
Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance (ALTA), European Endangered Species breeding programs (EEP), will be continued, expanded and communicated in a more involving way
by audiovisual media, interactive games and media work.
• Breeding of endangered species will be one of the
main conservation tools in the future. In addition,
releasing the species in order to strengthen the local
10
population whenever suitable projects are available
will be the final aim of this work.
ff-exhibit animal holding facilities will be expanded
• O
for the purpose of breeding and keeping animals for
conservation and release programmes.
• The addition of Hylkysaari island to the zoo will add
the fields of Baltic Sea biology, research and conservation to the zoo programs and give the zoo a more
holistic image.
• Cooperation with various organizations will complement the zoo’s interpretation and research programs.
• Stormwater treatment projects will be implemented
and combined with recreational functions.
• Beaches will be restored and better serve native wild
life and recreation.
• The recreation of top soil and tree cover will support
stormwater retention and improve microclimatic con
ditions for animals and people.
11
Tell me, and I will forget.
Show me, and I may remember.
Involve me, and I will understand.
(Confucius, 450 B.C.)
3.2. Four Seasons Zoo
Helsinki Zoo has always had a short busy season with 3000 to 8000 visitors per day from
May to September with an extreme peak in
July, whereas the season from October to
March has been slow with 200 to 2000 visitors
per day. This is of course owed to the weather,
but also to the difficulty of getting to the zoo,
as well as a lack of winter attractions and indoor facilities.
The strategic plan aims at turning the zoo into
a four seasons attraction.
• A
ccess to the zoo will be easier and more attractive
by a street train that will take visitors from the car
parking and metro station to the zoo.
• W
eather-proof picnic shelters and an additional
restaurant will improve visitor service during windy
and rainy weather.
• More indoor exhibit space will be added to the “Hot
Heart” of tropical exhibits.
• New indoor exhibitions will offer the opportunity of
an all indoor zoo experience during inclement weather.
• A winter path with special winter experiences will offer incentives to visit in winter.
• Special events will highlight each season, such as “Art
Meets Ice” and “Art Meets Sand”.
• Season-specific marketing will invite visitors to come
several times a year and during low season.
Number of visitors per month (average of 1998-2009)
84.9 % visits during may-sep
154093
96012
85745
70496
34128
23259
12
10249
10178
jan
feb
13535
mar
10353
apr
may
jun
jul
aug
sep
oct
4024
6971
nov
dec
3.3. Visitor Experience
The City of Helsinki has about half a million inhabitants and receives about two to three million tourists every year. In the past years, Helsinki Zoo has received about 500.000 visitors a
year, 15 % thereof being tourists.
In comparison with similar institutions and
urban areas of comparable populations, Helsinki Zoo has the potential of receiving a million
visitors a year. In order to accommodate this
number of visitors, accessibility, quality and
capacity of reception, paths and viewing areas,
visitor service facilities and communication
with the audience need to be improved.
The strategic plan therefore aims at improving the
general visitor experience and at facilitating orientation for the first time and foreign language
visitor. The target is a million visitors per year and
a more even distribution over the seasons.
• A
ccessibility to the zoo will be improved in accordance with the City of Helsinki.
• A
business plan will determine the effective capacities for additional restaurants, kiosks and shops.
• V
iews towards and from the island will be considered
when developing projects. Views from the island towards the sea and uphill towards the horizon will be
used as special assets of Korkeasaari.
• Opportunities to get in contact with animals will be
offered with pets (rabbits, guinea-pigs, small parrots),
domestic animals (alpaca, chicken), reptiles, insects,
spiders, but always under supervision and with guidance by zoo staff and trained volunteers.
• Free ranging wild animals such as geese, peacocks
and seagulls have always been part of the zoo experience. This experience will be enhanced by offering
food (Butterfly Gardens), nest boxes (for bats) and
special interpretation (signs, photo opportunities).
Further opportunities will be explored by the keepers.
3.4. Research
Helsinki Zoo provides a range of opportunities
to study wild animal species outside their home
range. Many aspects of the biology of wild animals simply cannot be studied efficiently in
their original habitats, especially when the status of the species’ population is in decline and
individual animals may only rarely be seen.
Helsinki Zoo supports scientific institutions
such as the Helsinki City Environmental Office
and the Helsinki University with data collected
at the zoo under supervision of scientists. Assessments of native sea bird populations are
done by Helsinki Zoo staff.
• A
nimal displays will become more involving with additional feeding places next to visitor viewing spots,
walk-through exhibits, keeper talks, videos of animal
activities, access to stables and special guided tours.
alk-through exhibits and exhibits for flagship spe• W
cies, such as seals, tigers, macaques, moose, bison
and bears are and will be strategically located to create dramatic effects along the visitor path.
Animal contact by feeding the lorikeets at Vogelpark Walsrode
13
Section 2: Strategic Plan
4 . N at u r a l h e r i tag e
Ibex exhibit with undisturbed horizon at Augsburg Zoo.
4.1. Surface
4.2. Shores
The island is hilly and rises up to 25 meters
from the sea. The relief creates variation in exposure to sun and wind. The current land use
is adapted to the microclimatic conditions. Cat
Valley is wind protected and receives morning and afternoon sun. Amazonia and Africasia
are in the sunniest locations of the island, the
service area is in the shadiest location on the
Northeast side. The Mongolian species (Bactrian camel, kulan, Przewalski horse) are in a
sunny, but windy area of the island.
Many of the beaches have become overgrown
with alder and birch due to the impact of nutrients and top soil in stormwater run-off. Erosion
control will be introduced at critical locations and
stormwater collected and treated in designated
areas.The shore along the East side of Korkeasaa
ri was changed to an artificial rock edge. It will be
restored to its natural state as a sand beach. This
will create habitats for native species and make
the shore more attractive for visitors.
Rock outcrops, open space with sparse vegetation and mature trees create diversity on Korkeasaari. Trees are very effective in creating atmosphere and microclimates.
4.3. Vistas
A comparison of aerial pictures from 1945 and
2009 shows a loss of tree cover on Korkeasaari.
Some of the rock areas were vegetated in historic times, but vegetation and soil has been
lost due to erosion in more recent times.
The strategic plan aims at maintaining existing
trees as a valuable resource. The areas that still
have a good humus layer should be protected
from erosion. Replanting trees will be part of
all redesign projects on Korkeasaari and support efforts to retain stormwater. A landscaping plan will stipulate areas that will be restored
with vegetation.
Ibex exhibit
with concrete wall
on the horizon.
14
When approaching by boat, the views of the
historic lookout makes the first impression. The
appearance of this lookout will improve, when
the concrete wall will be covered with artificial
rock, similar to the natural granite below.
The inside space of the lookout, with its view to
the sea and across Cat Valley, will become more
attractive when the planters will be taken out
and people will be allowed to approach the surrounding wall and look through small slots outside. Seating will be added, but no shelter that
would disturb the view from outside. The wooden lookout will be removed without replacement.
The hilly site of the island provides nice views.
Gentle slopes are great sites for animal exhibits because they potentially offer views uphill
towards the horizon, which gives the generous
impression of a limitless space.
Lookout in the future.
Lookout today.
15
HISTORIC PROTECTION
Historiallisten rakennusten suojelu
Curator’s Residence
Bear Castle
Polar Bear
Bear Castle
Castle
Guard’s House
Waiting Pavilion Pukki Restaurant
Lion Castle
The historic Bear Castle.
0
50
100
200m
The historic Polar Bear Castle..
Legend
protected buildings/structures
suojeltu rakennus / rakenne
5 . C u lt u r a l h e r i tag e
Preservation of Korkeasaari’s cultural heritage
is demanded by law and tradition. The whole island is listed as a nationally important cultural
environment by the National Board of Antiquities and the Ministry of Environment.
The strategic plan aims at lending appropriate
functions to historic structures that are in compliance with their preservation, that increase
their value and make their maintenance more
cost effective. Several structures and buildings
that are protected by historic preservation were
recently renovated.
• The Pukki Restaurant has its original function and
16
has been upgraded to actual standards several times.
• The Curator’s Residence has served as an office building since 1996.
• The Guard’s House was turned into a popular café
in 2006.
• The Waiting Pavilion is preserved, but has suffered
some inappropriate changes (access ramp, electric
meter). It can hardly be used because of its location
and architecture.
• The Lion Castle was originally built for lions, but is
now used for baboons and called Baboon Castle. The
building is on an important site along the visitor path
in a very visible location and does not fit the natural
landscape around. It gets very cold because of its exposure to prevailing winds, but hot in summer due to
the walls and the South facing exposure. The indoor
facilities are too small to keep large animals inside
for long periods of time. The visitor indoor viewing
area is small and not attractive. The visitor outdoor
viewing area on the upper floor is only accessible via
small hidden stairs. The best option for the time being
seems to exchange baboons for a more hardy monkey
species such as macaques.
• The historic Polar Bear Castle is not useful for keeping animals. It is in a prominent location, but lower
than the path and not very friendly with hard and
dark surfaces and sturdy grid separations. It may be
turned into an exhibition space within a future Seal
Harbour exhibit.
• The Bear Castle next to Amazonia is in good condition, but off the path system. It may serve as the entrance to an indoor exhibition.
• The Bear Castle next to Borealia is located at the entrance to the service area.
• The historic park between the harbour and the Pukki
Restaurant was recently upgraded by taking off fences, planting, and restoring the water features.
SLOPE GRADIENTS
SURFACE
MICROCLIMATE
TREE COVER ANALYSIS
Rinteen kaltevuus
Maanpinta
Pienilmasto
Puuanalyysi
Legend
Legend
Legend
Legend
slope > 25%
jyrkkä rinteen kaltevuus yli 25%
artificial shore
rantapenger
slope 10–25%
rinteen kaltevuus 10–25%
rock outcrops
avokalliot
slope < 10%
rinteen kaltevuus < 10%
trees
olemassa olevat puut
wind exposed / prevailing wind
tuulisimmat alueet / vallitseva tuulen suunta
tree cover in 1945
puut v. 1945
protected from prevailing wind
suojaiset alueet
tree cover in 2009
puut v. 2009
maximal sun exposure
aurinkoisimmat alueet
minimal sun exposure
varjoisimmat alueet
Slopes: this graphic shows areas that are easy to use (up to
10 %), areas that can be used with modifications (cut and fill)
of the land form (10 to 25 %) and areas that should not be
used for construction because of the high cost and the risk of
erosion involved.
0
50 100
Much of the surface of the island is barren granite rock.
This is a feature that makes Helsinki Zoo very unique, but
construction of fences difficult and expensive. The animal
collection is chosen with respect to species’ adaptations to
the rock surface, such as wild goats.
N
S
Microclimate: While the Northeast part of the island receives
least sun, it is well protected from prevailing winds, coming
from Southwest
The comparison of tree cover in 1945 and in 2009 shows
substantial losses.
200m
17
6 . R e ach i n g t h e i s l a n d
The zoo visit starts where the visitor perceives
the experience as part of the visit. Visitors to
Helsinki Zoo can choose between a ferry (in
summer), a public bus, a private car or bicycle.
In all cases, except for the ferry, a long walk is
required to reach the first animal exhibit.
there is enough parking space available.
6.1 Current access
The public bus stops near the gate at 60 minutes intervals and operates between 10 and 16
hours (in winter). The walk from the metro station (Kulosaari) to the zoo gate is 1820 meters.
In summer (from 1st May to 30th September),
the ferry from the Kauppatori market place or
from Hakaniemi is an attractive and popular
mode of transport, always being rated high by zoo
visitors (Korkeasaari Visitor Interview and Innolink
Research, 2008). Because of the limited and expensive ferry service, transport by car increases.
Apart from the ferry, access to the zoo is by car
to the parking lot at Mustikkamaa. 334 permanent and 240 temporary parking spaces are
available on Mustikkamaa island. At the zoo
entrance there are 5 spaces for group buses and
3 parking spaces for special purpose. Currently,
For those coming by car, the first zoo experience is at the parking lot and a walk of more
than 520 meters to the zoo gate. The walk from
the gate to the first animal exhibit at the zoo in
Cat Valley adds 650 meters.
Access to the zoo seems the biggest barrier for
increasing visitor numbers, particularly in winter. The strategic plan makes suggestions for
more comfortable and more sustainable modes
of transport for visitor access to the zoo. This
should reduce the use of cars for arrival from
actual two thirds of all visitors to one third or
less. With improvements in access alternatives,
parking capacities on Mustikkamaa should be
sufficient in the future.
Passengers volume by access points / Matkustaja määrät eli tulosuunnista
120000
Mustikkamaa
Kauppatori
Hakaniemi
100000
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
jan
feb
mar
apr
may
jun
jul
aug
sep
oct
nov
dec
Usage of bridge and ferry / Saapuminen sillalla ja lautalla
80%
70
60
50
40
30
The view from Mustikkamaa.
20
The current zoo gate at Mustikkamaa.
10
The ferry in summer, Hylkysaari island in the rear.
A zoo bus stop on Mustikkamaa.
18
0
via Mustikkamaa bridge
by ferry -lautta
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Clockwise from top left:
19
CURRENT ACCESS
PARKING CAPACITIES
Nykyinen saavutettavuus
Pysäköinti
334 parking lots
P
P
P
P
240 temporary
parking lots
5 bus parking lots
3 parking lots
P
P
BUS
P
zoo entrance
P
24 parking lots
8 parking lots
19 parking lots
P
P
P
5 parking lots
Africasia
ferry
terminal
Amazonia
Pukki
Bear Castle
Cat Valley
Legend
zoo entrance on Mustikkamaa
eläintarhan pääportti Mustikkamaalla
ferry terminal
lauttaterminaali
20
P
parking
pysäköinti
bus route
bussireitti
pedestrians
kävelyreitti
service traffic
huoltoajo
P
parking lots
pysäköintipaikka ja paikkojen lukumäärä
P
temporary parking lots
tilapäinen pysäköintipaikka ja paikkojen lukumäärä
0
100
200
400m
6.2. Future access
s a short term measure, a street train will take
A
visitors from the parking lot and from the cashier on Mustikkamaa to the harbour on Korkeasaari. The winter train will continue around the
island with stops at the otters, the bears and
the Pukki Restaurant. Visitors pay the zoo entrance fee when getting on the train.
erries to Korkeasaari should become part of
F
the public ferry service that connects the major
islands (UNESCO sites, restaurants and other
points of interest) of the archipelago of Helsinki for visitors and tourists.
e ferry landing will be moved to a new zoo
Th
entrance. All zoo entrance and exit amenities
will be concentrated at this one entrance space
in the future, for cost effectiveness and security
control. It is in the zoo’s interest that all visitors enter and exit in one location.
e development of Kalasatama for housing
Th
offers the unique chance for the zoo to get a
comfortable transport connection from Kalasatama metro station via a new bridge to
Mustikkamaa. The street train then will take
visitors from Kalasatama station to the zoo
entrance on Korkeasaari. It is possible that a
substantial share of zoo visitors who previously parked on Mustikkamaa will either come
by metro or prefer to park at Kalasatama metro station because of the shopping centre and
the convenience and experience of the street
train to the zoo. The potential shift from car to
metro and the total number of people who may
want to take the street train to the zoo should
be evaluated in a traffic study. It may be 10.000
to 15.000 on busy days, assuming that annual
visitor numbers increase.
n easy public transport connection between
A
the Zoo and the Natural History Museum may
increase visitor numbers to both institutions.
I n order to improve the service for pedestrians
and bikers, the bridge between Mustikkamaa
and Korkeasaari should be improved by offering weather protection and interesting things
to see along the way.
hen the zoo entrance moves from MusW
tikkamaa to Korkeasaari, it is time to switch
sides of car and pedestrian traffic on the bridge.
Car traffic then will go along the East side of the
bridge and continue into the service area without visitors crossing. The terrace of the café on
Mustikkamaa then can be expanded towards
the West, to the coast. Pedestrians coming from
Kalasatama need not cross the road when walking on the bridge to Korkeasaari.
Rented cart at Berlin Zoo.
Bicycle users will find covered parking and lockers at the zoo entrance.
An exhibit for grey seals in the historic (current)
harbour will be a major animal experience filling
the current gap between the bridge landing on
Korkeasaari and the Cat Valley (see p. 41).
Street train at Marwell Zoo.
21
7. Welcome to the Zoo
Zoos nowadays have a public entry plaza where
people can use zoo services such as a shop, a
restaurant or a cinema without necessarily entering the zoo. This is the goal for the entrance
area on Korkeasaari. The layout reserves a corridor for a possible tram line from Kalasatama to
Kruunuvuorenranta with a stop on Korkeasaari.
Mustikkamaa
current Zoo entrance
Ample pedestrian space has to be provided in
front and behind the zoo gate. On both sides
of the zoo gate, families and groups meet, wait
and orient. They demand seating, shelter, toilets, orientation signs and meeting points.
sp
a ce
for
m
construction limit
due to steep slop
The current Zoo gate
at Mustikkamaa.
e
construction limit
due to historic building
Zoo
service area
future Zoo visitor
entrance area
22
lin
ge
t ra
ari brid
The service area will be fenced off from visitor
areas, once the entrance space becomes public.
The location of the service area close to the entrance creates least traffic and facilitates communication with staff that needs to be at the
entrance such as education and marketing.
orkeasa
The public space will accommodate a pier for
public ferries, a pier for private boats, a bicycle
parking with lockers and a train stop for street
trains from the Kalasatama metro station. A
roundabout will allow cars to drop off people at
the entry plaza. A shelter and seating areas will
serve people waiting for a ferry, a zoo train, a
car or other people and provide information on
transport schedules and zoo activities.
amaa-K
In the future, the entrance space on Korkea
saari island will be split into a freely accessible
public entrance space and a zoo entrance space
behind the zoo gate. The zoo boundary will be
formed by buildings, rock walls and fences behind plants, and the sea.
Tuleva eläintarhan sisääntuloalue
Mustikk
7.1. Public space and zoo ground
ENTRANCE FUNCTIONS IN RELATION TO LANDSCAPE
0
50
100m
ACCESS IMPROVEMENT SHORT TERM
ACCESS IMPROVEMENT LONG TERM
Saavutettavuus
Tuleva saavutettavuus
Kalasatama
Kalasatama
zoo train
P
Mustikkamaa
P
P
P
Mustikkamaa
BUS
P
zoo entrance
new zoo entrance
new ferry
terminal
zoo train
ferry
terminal
zoo train
Africasia
Africasia
Amazonia
Pukki
Amazonia
Pukki
Bear Castle
Bear Castle
Cat Valley
Legend
zoo entrance on Mustikkamaa
eläintarhan pääportti Mustikkamaalla
ferry terminal
lauttaterminaali
Cat Valley
P
visitor parking
pysäköinti
bus route
bussireitti
pedestrians & bikes
kävely- ja pyöräreitti
service traffic
huoltoajo
proposed zoo train
eläintarha minijuna
0
100
200
400m
23
The current Zoo office for administration.
7.2. Indoor space program
masterplan analysis in 2009 revealed the folA
lowing needs and requirements for additional
indoor space:
• Offices for education (6–9 persons), marketing (2–3
persons) and a sign shop. The estimate for space requirements is 350 m², including meeting rooms, lockers, kitchen, toilets and storage.
• Offices for animal management (4–6 persons) and
administration (6-8 persons). The estimate for space
requirements is 320 m², including lockers, kitchen,
meeting rooms, toilets and storage.
• The new Nature School will be close to the entrance
and the education office, with entrances from inside
24
Zoo office for animal management.
the zoo. The space requirements are estimated at
250 m² for two classrooms, a teachers’ room, lockers,
kitchen, toilets and storage.
• The ticket building will have several counters with a
roofed space in front, and a self-service point (ATM).
The ticket office should include up to 6 cashiers (20
m²), first aid (10 m²), lost and found (5 m²), staff
changing (20 m²), public and staff toilets (30 m²) and
a kitchen (10 m²). A building of about 100 m² seems
advisable in a distance from the shop, in order to separate visitor flows of queuing for the ticket, entering
and exiting the zoo on peak days.
• A Baltic Sea Restaurant at the shore will be a selfservice, since people may enter while waiting for a
boat or train. The theme will be reflected in the design
and some aquaria exhibitions. The capacities for indoor and outdoor seating will be proposed according
to an economic study. A building of about 300 m² and
terraces of about 600 m² is a first estimate.
• The shop’s capacity will also be proposed in this study.
100 m² is a first estimate.
• An auditorium for 100 persons (300 m²) will serve
scheduled events and conferences. This building will
include the auditorium (150 m²), cloakroom (30 m²),
bar (10 m²), meeting room (30 m²), kitchen (10 m²),
public toilets (20 m²) and storage (30 m²).
• An exhibition building (650 m²) will offer access to
the auditorium and to the Conservation Centre. A
space of about 400 m² will serve as a permanent zoo
The current nature school.
exhibition and changing exhibitions. The building will
include a library (60 m²), computer class room (40
m²), volunteer meeting room (30 m²), changing and
lockers (30 m²), storage (20 m²), cloakroom (30 m²),
kitchen (10 m²) and public toilets (20 m²).
• A Conservation Centre of about 900 m² will serve as
indoor animal exhibition space with a mix of virtual
and real experiences (300 m²). The animal displays
will focus on threatened species of reptiles, amphibia
and other small species. An indoor playground with
kiosk (300 m²) should be in the same complex. The
technical and husbandry support facilities (300 m²)
will not be accessible to the public.
Gathering place at Vienna Zoo.
7.3. Priorities
The actual lack of office space makes the construction of office buildings the most urgent in
the list. The Baltic Sea Restaurant will solve capacity problems in the other restaurants and –
with innovative theming and aquaria – become
a visitor attraction on its own. The shop will
pay for itself. The ticket office should be moved
to the new entrance area when restaurant and
shop are being built, in order to enable people
to use both without entering the zoo.
The ferry terminal has to move for the Seal
Harbour exhibit. It also has to move to the new
entrance area in conjunction with the ticket
office, if the ferry becomes part of the public
ferry service of the archipelago.
Nature School, exhibition and Conservation
Entry plaza at Oregon Zoo.
Centre can be built as growing attendance and
budget allows.
Helsinki Zoo’s mission is to conserve wildlife
and natural resources. The appearance of the
entrance area should be that of a nature place
in order to make the zoo’s mission visible to
the public. Building several small buildings for
different functions is a desirable strategy that
allows integration into the landscape, least
hassles for continuous operation during construction and adaptations to growing attendance, changing demands and budgets.
High standards of heating, air conditioning and
stormwater retention are required to comply
with the zoo’s mission. After redesigning of the
entrance area, all stormwater that is generated
in this area has to be treated before being released into the sea.
25
Public space in Cologne city.
“In the end we will conserve
only what we love. We will
love only what we understand.
We will understand only what
we are taught.”
(Baba Dioum, Senegalese environmentalist, speech to
the general assembly of the international union for
conservation of nature in 1968)
26
ENTRANCE FUNCTIONS AND LOGISTICS
The shop is part of the public space. Zoo visitors
can exit through the shop. Exhibition and auditorium can have access from the public space
on special occasions, but always through turnstiles. In general, these buildings are only accessible from the zoo side. All visitors enter the zoo
through turnstiles, either at the gate or through
the shop, the exhibition or the auditorium.
Zoo visitors buy their tickets online, on the ferry, on the street train, at the ticket office at the
entrance gate, or in the shop during low season.
Electronic access control is at the turnstiles of
the main gate (and in the shop during low season). Visual access control is by staff through
the windows of the ticket office (or shop during
low season) or by extra staff at the exhibition
or auditorium during special events.
The entrance space inside the zoo gate serves
the gathering and orientation of zoo visitors.
It should provide space for up to three groups
of 15 to 30 people at a time and access to first
aid, lost and found, toilets, restaurant and Nature School.
The Nature School will be easy to find and reach
when located close to the main gate.
All public spaces – indoors and outdoors – are to
be connected by ramps (no stairs or elevators).
The ramps should be integrated into the function of the surrounding space (park, exhibition,
auditorium). The only exception is an elevator
from the Conservation Centre to the indoor
exhibitions in the tropical halls of the zoo. This
shortcut will provide an all indoor zoo visit.
All buildings (except for the restaurant and the
shop) need vehicle service access from the backside (zoo side) for delivery and daily service. Refurbishing of exhibitions and technical maintenance should not be done from the public side,
but from the zoo side, in order to keep control of
public access and not to interfere with zoo visits.
new public
ferry terminal
bicycle
parking
Zoo
street train
stop
waiting
hall
dary
Service access will be through the service gate
that will be controlled with keys or codes and
remote control from the offices. Education and
marketing offices near the entrance will facilitate contact of education and marketing staff
with the zoo visitors. The education and marketing offices therefore need controlled access
from the public space. Office buildings also
should be located close to the historic office
building and the service area, in order to facilitate communication among all staff.
zoo boundary
The public entrance space should be generous
enough to accommodate receptions for a few
hundred people, with a stage for performances
and catering from the restaurant. The restaurant and its terraces will be separated into a
public part and a zoo part with multifunctional
spaces for groups. The separation will be flexible, to be opened on special occasions.
private
boat
pier
restaurant
public
entrance plaza
reception
zoo boun
7.4. Logistics
Zoo
Parking
new Zoo offices
and workshops
Zoo
entrance
plaza
shop
exhibition auditorium
existing offices
and workshops
Nature School
Conservation
Center
27
The Pukki restaurant.
The current zoo cafe at Bear Castle.
8. Visitor experience
The visitor experience at the zoo can be understood as the degree of fulfilment of visitor
needs. Zoo visitor needs have been subject to
extensive research in the United States. A visitor tracking study was completed at Helsinki
Zoo in 2009. Regular surveys of Helsinki Zoo
visitors also give an insight to the visitors’ perception of the zoo. Suggestions in this strategic
plan have made used of these studies.
8.1. Visitor needs
The physical needs and orientation needs of zoo
visitors require particular attention. Only when
these needs are satisfactorily answered, visitors
are receptive for more specific zoo attractions,
namely the animal exhibits.
28
The basic needs can be categorized according
to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The model is
based on the assumption that people act to satisfy lower needs before satisfying higher ones.
The diagram illustrates zoo visitors’ needs and
adequate zoo design answers (Ebenhöh, 1992).
For example, a hungry or thirsty visitor first devotes energy to finding food or a drinking fountain. A visitor with children or a baby in diapers
first needs restrooms. With these basic needs
satisfied, a visitor can spend more time on safety
needs, reassured that he or she is not lost and
is secure and protected within the park. Feeling safe, the visitor can deepen a sense of belonging, feeling at home, reassured by a familiar
landmark, brought up-to-date about significant
changes since the last visit. Thus settled, the visi-
Zoo visitor’s needs
Hierarchy of needs after Maslow
Zoo design answers
Experiental
needs
Esteem needs
Social needs
Safety needs
Physiological needs
5. Contact with animals, plants, water, people
4. Programmes and interaction
3. Sites to play, relax, communicate
2. Support for orientation (signs, guides), usability of paths at all weathers
and for all audiences, including the handicapped and those with strollers
1. Restaurants, toilets, seating, tempereature
control, light control, weather protection
tor can pursue activities that will meet needs for
self-esteem and feeling good about himself or
herself while at the zoo (Pugh, 1991).
Visitors come to the zoo for family togetherness and for community spirit particularly at
special events. It was shown in visitor studies
(Rosenfeld et al., 1978) that parents defined a
successful zoo visit by their children having a
good time. Consequently exhibits that cannot
attract children have also little chance to be noticed by adults. Visitors need to talk to people,
ask questions and share values and they need
to see and hear people to enjoy the institution.
They derive self-esteem by appearing informed,
acquiring and sharing new information with
others and from completing interactive zoo activities. Recognition can be gained from memberships, adoptions, donor thanks and from
having ones handiwork displayed.
Visitors to zoo exhibits may already be pre-disposed to supporting a range of wildlife conservation efforts. Knowledge, then, shapes primarily
the attitudes of those who were not pre-disposed.
Besides, there is a tendency for extremist positions to harden after education programs attempting to change attitudes. Finlay et al. (1988)
found that people rate qualities of animals shown
in cages differently from those shown in natural surroundings. Caged zoo animals were seen
as restricted, tame, and passive while wild animals were characterized as free, wild, and active.
Animals viewed in naturalistic zoo settings were
rated more positively than caged zoo animals, but
not as favourably as the wild animals. When any
barrier was visible in naturalistic exhibits, the animals were rated just as restricted and tame as the
animals in traditional bar and glass cages. “Results
suggest that emotional (i.e. affective) factors are far
more critically related to a protectionist attitude than
knowledge (i.e. cognitive) factors” (Kellert, 1979).
RESTAURANTS & KIOSKS
Ravintolat ja kioskit
Legend
now
additional
nykyinen uusi
Baltic Sea
Restaurant
restaurant
ravintola
terrace
terassi
kiosk
kioski
Seal Harbour
Kiosk
Parrot
Kiosk
Guard’s House
Cáfe
Pukki Restaurant
& Kiosk
Vulture
Kiosk
Bears Bay
Restaurant
Cat Valley
Kiosk
Rock Kiosk
Beach Kiosk
Korkeasaari Boat
Restaurant
0
50
100
200m
Hylkysaari
Restaurant
29
The current kiosk near the otter.
8.2. Restaurants and kiosks
Currently, one private company runs all restaurants and kiosks, moreover a staff kitchen and
a bakery in summer. The City of Helsinki makes
new contracts every three years to ensure that
Helsinki Zoo has a private partner that implements its mission with adequate products, services and events.
An inventory has shown capacity problems for
all locations in high season. An expansion of
spaces and locations is planned. Additionally to
the main shop at the entrance, some theme areas may have souvenir stands or kiosks match-
30
Picnic at the shore.
ing the area, such as Seal Harbour, Bears Bay
and the Finnish Forest. An economic study on
potential visitors and income generated by additional restaurants and shops will be done before deciding on the scale (capacities) and timing of these projects.
• The Guard’s House Café has as much outdoor seating
as possible within the historic park.
• The Pukki Restaurant will get a seating terrace on its
West side, additionally to the one on the East side.
• The seating at the Borealia Kiosk will double with a
redesign of this space.
• The Otter Kiosk will be removed and the whole space
redesigned into a Finnish Forest recreation area. A
restaurant boat and a beach terrace then can offer
about 80 seats indoors (on the boat) and 180 seats
outdoors on a beach terrace.
• A new Rock Garden Kiosk (replacing the compost facility behind the takins) can serve about 80 seats.
• The Baltic Sea Restaurant at the entrance can accommodate about 100 people inside and 200 people
outside.
• The café on Mustikkamaa may be expanded, once the
cashier will move to Korkeasaari and the road switch
to the East side of the building.
• The historic multi-storey building on Hylkysaari may
open a café with indoor and outdoor seating.
• A s a last step of improving the restaurants, the
Bear Castle may be removed and replaced by a much
larger restaurant and by new bear exhibits, where
both – visitors and bears – can enjoy tree shade and
sea views.
31
the areas with PICNIC SHELTERS
Eväspaikat
Rope Garden
Green Corner
Amazonia
Bears Bay
Current picnic site near the Bear Castle.
Rock Climbing
8.3. Picnic
There is a tradition to bring food to the zoo
and have a picnic there. The City supports this
tradition by a low zoo entrance fee and by providing picnic areas and barbecue facilities at
the zoo. Problems arise, when – due to harsh
weather conditions – people seek indoor space
for eating their own meals. Currently this happens in undesirable places, such as the bear
castle’s exhibition space, the Amazonia entrance hall and the Africasia hallway.
In order to prevent this abuse of indoor spaces,
weather-proof picnic shelters will be designed
and set up in popular spaces.
32
In addition to the existing ones, picnic shelters
will be placed next to the Bear Castle (below the
eagles and bison), next to the Korkeasaari Boat
Restaurant, at the lookout next to the Mongolian species (Przewalski horses and camels), next
to the Wetland East, in the Australian theme
area, along the shore between the Baltic Sea Restaurant and the Seal Harbour, next to the Rock
Garden Kiosk and on Hylkysaari island.
Finnish Kota
Hylkysaari
0
The ground of outdoor picnic places will be
lawn whenever possible. This is more ecological
than hard surface, more aesthetical and better usable for small children who start walking.
Parents seek out clean lawns to let their toddler get out of the stroller.
Beach
50
100
200m
Legend
now
nykyinen
additional
lisättävä
PROPOSED TOILETS
Saniteettitilat, suunnitelma
Conservation Center
Restaurant
Entrance
1. Family toilets at Legoland.
2. Washroom for adults and children at Legoland..
3. Themed toilet in a bar in Zurich.
4. Themed toilets at Chester Zoo.
8.4. Toilets
more women’ toilets in zoos due to higher numbers of female visitors and their higher probability to take children with them to the toilet. All
together, the number of toilets is insufficient.
Hylkysaari
The zoo toilets were low rated by visitors (Inno
link Research, 2008). A complete inventory and
evaluation was done in 2009.
All together there are 48 public toilets. 18 thereof are acceptable, 10 are bearable and 20 in bad
condition, due to a lack of space or odour problems. Moreover, there are more toilet spaces for
men than for women at Helsinki Zoo, although
– in general – there is a need of about one third
Toilets however, are an important part of almost every zoo visit experience and therefore
need much attention. There are well designed
toilets in bars, restaurants and exhibitions all
over the world that may serve as examples.
0
50
100
200m
Legend
toilets, men/women
WC, mies/naispaikat
short term addition
existing
wheelchair accessible toilets
esteetön WC
long term addition
removed/closed
from public
baby changing rooms / with toilet
lastenhoitohuone ja WC
33
Current directional sign, exhibit numbers
and directions to major goals.
The current zoo entrance
at Korkesaari and the zoo
map with exhibit numbers.
34
8.5. Orientation
Visitors’ spatial orientation is provided by site
layout, path and exhibit design and signage.
The site on an island and the relief of Korkeasaari make orientation relatively easy. Landmarks such as the ferry terminal, the bridge,
Cat Valley, the Pukki Restaurant, the Bear Castle, Palosaari and Hylkysaari islands support
orientation. The current path layout is sometimes confusing.
THEME AREAS
Teema-alueet
Entrance/
Conservation Center
Theme areas serve visitors’ spatial and contextual orientation. Cat Valley is a theme area that
fulfils these requirements and will keep this
name. Visitors realize that they walk through
a valley (spatial orientation) and will see cats
(contextual orientation). The theme is easy to
grasp. The valley is easy to recognize. Additionally, the whole space has a consistent design of
barriers, buffer zones and pergolas. This ties
the theme area together.
Vicuna
Heights
Keas
Canyon
Africasia
Parrot Landing
Amazonia
Bear Bay
Seals
Harbour
The new theme areas on Korkeasaari are based
on the actual exhibits, the landscape and the
circulation system. The theme areas get names
that create correct expectations of what to see
and find (contextual orientation). The themes
at Helsinki Zoo do not follow one specific scientific system such as taxonomy or geography,
but are more diverse and imaginative - such as
Africasia - in order to provide flexibility for the
animal collection. The characteristics of each
theme area will be created by the choice of animal species, plants, the design of shelters, fences and exhibit furniture. Each theme area will
have its specific interpretation program.
Alpine
Goats
Cat
Valley
Camel Heights
Takin
Monkeys
Bison
Finnish Forest
0
50
100
200m
35
Examples of entrance nodes to theme areas.
8.6. Circulation
Looping paths are recommended for easy visitor orientation. The loop system can start
from a central space or from a central axis. In
both cases, the loops take visitors into various
theme areas and back to the node or axis. The
given constraints from landscape and existing
paths on Korkeasaari suggest an intermediate
solution, with the Pukki Restaurant serving
as a central node. A visitor tracking study was
completed in 2009 in order to find which paths
visitors currently take and where they spent
most and least time. The results were included
in the design of a proposed visitor tour.
36
First time visitors will be invited to follow a
path that allows them to see all attractions
without taking any path twice. Repeat visitors
can choose this route or take their own path.
Pukki Restaurant. From there, the journey
continues through the tropical halls. From the
backside of Amazonia, the visitor travels down
the hill towards the exit.
The suggested tour turns right upon arrival
on the island and follows the shore to the otters. A turn through Cat Valley and another
turn at the Pukki Restaurant takes the visitor
to the camels. Then the tour leads down to the
monkeys and back via bisons to the reindeer.
After visiting the exhibits along the shore, the
visitor can cross the dam to Hylkysaari. Upon
return from Hylkysaari, the journey continues along the bison to the bears and up to the
This route works at any stage of the envisioned
zoo development with minor adaptations.
• Special plants, flags, stones, paving and/or signs at
the entrances of the theme areas will provide clues
for orientation, so that visitors will understand when
they enter and leave a theme area (spatial orientation), no matter from which side.
• Some existing paths can be taken out for easier orien-
tation and for reducing maintenance cost, such as the
one along the geese holding building. Service access
roads have to be respected.
• W hen creating new paths, long straight paths should
be avoided because they get boring. Winding paths
offer a variety of views and keep the mystery of what
to find behind the next curve. Dead ends should be
avoided, except for short paths to attractions that
make the back tracking worthwhile. Steps should be
avoided, even when an additional ramp can be provided because the visitor flow is diverted with two alternatives. Ramps should be part of the experience,
not a compromise.
PROPOSED PATH FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS
NODES BETWEEN THEME AREAS
Reittiehdotus ensikertalaisille
Teema-alueiden välisiä siirtymiskohtia
Bridge
Entrance/
Conservation Center
Entrance
Conservation
Center
Keas
Canyon
Africasia
Australia
Africasia
Parrot
Landing
Amazonia
Amazonia
Seals
Vicuna
Heights
Bears
Pukki Restaurant
Cat
Valley
Monkeys
Seals
Harbour
Bear Bay
Cat
Valley
Alpine
Goats
Camel Heights
Takin
Lookout
Monkeys
Bison
Bison
Moose
Restaurant
Boat
0
Legend
50
100
200m
proposed path for first time visitors
reittiehdotus
Wetland
Finnish Forest
Hylkysaari
0
Legend
50
100
200m
nodes between theme areas
teema-alueen siirtymiskohta
37
Walk-through exhibit at Nordhorn Zoo.
Harp wire used between a shelter and an
aviary at the Bavarian National Park.
Split level view of penguins at Woodland Park Zoo.
38
Dark coloured fence is more transparent than the metal colour.
Vegetation blurrs the exhibit barrier at Nordhorn Zoo.
9. Animal exhibits
In a modern zoo, animal enclosures allow keeping animals in natural social groups. Enclosures
must enhance the natural behaviour of the species and enable breeding when it is recommended for conservational purposes or is needed
for the health of the individual animals. These
demands will lead to larger and less enclosures,
and – since the space of the zoo is limited – to
fewer species on exhibit.
In general, animal exhibits at Helsinki Zoo are
spacious and functional. A number of exhibits
will be improved for better, more comfortable
and more interesting viewing, as well as for
more attractive interpretation (signs and inter
actives). In order to keep the public interest in
the zoo continuously high, the scheduling of
new exhibit projects and programs should allow
a major marketing campaign every (other) year.
The types of enclosures used at Helsinki Zoo
will be diversified. The term “enclosure” includes cages, paddocks and aviaries. While a
cage is typically enclosed by solid mesh or grids,
a paddock is typically fenced and has an open
top. An aviary is a cage holding birds (Latin:
aves). Aviaries nowadays can take any form and
be quite large, even for visitors to walk through.
Walk-through exhibits will allow visitors to enter animal areas, when surveillance and animal
behaviours allow. Options for walk-through exhibits are aviaries for lorikeets and budgerigars
and exhibits for wallabies, vicuna and mara.
Split-level viewing of exhibits enable visitors to
view animals under water, on the ground and in
tree canopies. This is particularly interesting in
mixed species exhibits, when various species inhabit different strata in the exhibit space.
Fences at Helsinki Zoo are usually dark coloured. This makes them less visible in compari-
son to green or metal colour. Fences parallel to
the edge of the paths are more visible than when
hidden behind vegetation. Vegetation should
cover fences except for dedicated viewing areas
that are selected and designed for this purpose.
Climbing plants could cover the poles of all aviaries and many fences. Harp wire has not yet
been used as an exhibit barrier at Helsinki Zoo,
but has interesting applications. It improves
visibility in comparison to glass panels, but the
necessary secondary barriers keep animals at a
larger distance from visitors than glass.
Various types of enclosures: aviary, paddock, cage.
When walking the path between camel and
musk ox exhibits, the entire exhibits can be seen
all along. The visitor experience becomes more
focussed and more interesting when viewing is
restricted to specially designed areas. Shelters
at the Bactrian camel, wapiti and mountain goat
exhibits will prolong visitor dwell times, particularly when combined with feeding places.
39
9.1. Seal Harbour
Seals are among the most attractive species in
zoos and deserve a spacious exhibit with ample visitor viewing areas. The planning of a new
seal exhibit with seating for a large audience for
interpretive talks has highest priority, since the
species is popular, easily available and easy to
train, and staff has experience with seals.
The historic harbour setting will serve as realistic scenery for the display of grey seals which
often live close to human settlements. The current ferry terminal is a suitable location, regarding available space, visibility from the ferry
and the interesting historic ambiance. Using
the sea as a continuous backdrop for the exhibit
will make it look very naturalistic and spacious.
The exposition of visitor seating must avoid the
40
afternoon sun in the visitors’ eye.
Two piers and a (fake) ferry boat will provide visitor viewing and interpretation. The main pool
between the two piers will be enclosed by underwater fences and an underwater tunnel. The
tunnel will allow visitors to cross from one pier
to the other. It will be submersed to preserve the
view of the open sea, but not more than that it is
possible to see the water surface from the tunnel. A second pool will be in front of the historic
Polar Bear Castle. The water in the pools is that
of the Baltic Sea which provides the animals with
the stimuli of their natural habitat.
The current shop and kiosk building will be replaced by technical areas for seal management
and stormwater treatment. These facilities will
be hidden behind artificial rock, mimicking
the natural granite of the island. The area between the vulture aviary and the neighbouring
pier will be filled to create a plaza in front of
the aviary and seating for about 900 people on
benches parallel to the pier. Visitors will be able
to attend demonstrations that will take place
several times a day during the high season. A
platform in the pool will serve a keeper as the
demonstration area. Kiosks will be located on
both ends of the Seal Harbour (Seal Kiosk, Vulture Kiosk).
This exhibit will be the first highlight after the
entrance to the zoo and will be visible from the
ferries approaching the new harbour near the
bridge to Korkeasaari.
Seal
kiosk
Interpretation
Proposal for
Seal haRbour
beach
pier
visitor path
“ferry” viewing platform
glass
tunnel
seals
keepers
stage
stormwater
retention
treatment
beach
Service
seats
filled shore
Vulture
kiosk
outflow
visitor path
Vulture
viewing
0
5
10
50m
41
“Beluga”, Helsinki Zoo competition proposal.
9.2. Alpine Goats
The path along the markhor and ibex exhibits is
currently underused because the animal species
are not interesting enough for most visitors and
there is no other attractive goal to reach from
this path. This will change with the addition of
the Otter Hide playground and the Korkeasaari
Boat Restaurant near the otter exhibit.
In order to make the walk more interesting, the
landscaping will vary in plant species selection
and plants’ heights. A platform at the beach for
viewing nesting birds on the small island will
42
also be an attractive resting place for visitors on
sunny days. The platform will have benches and
a sturdy telescope. A boardwalk into the ibex exhibit will be another point of interest along the
path. The boardwalk will detach from two seating areas, cross the moat with smooth ramps
and lead along the rockface into a shelter so that
the ibex cannot jump on the visitor path. Viewing will be through horizontal slots between the
planks of the shelter. The shelter will provide
protection for visitors on this wind exposed side
of the island and for ibex that will choose to
stay nearby in good visibility of the visitors.
Alpine goats theme area
Vulture
viewing
Vulture
kiosk
viewing platform
seating
vis
i to
rp
at
h
Vulture
telescope
Alpine goat
Korkeasaari
luoto
various height
of shrubs and
trees to be
planted on the
exhibit side of
the path.
Alpine goat
lookout
platform
vegetation on
the sea side of
the path to be
removed.
0
5
10
shelterd
boardwalk
concrete wall
camouflaged
with
artificial granite
50m
Ibex and vulture, mixed species exhibits at Nordhorn Zoo ©Wolfgang Salzert
43
44
9.3. Cat Valley
Big and small felids are on display in Cat Valley.
The design of the various exhibits in Cat Valley
is similar, which lends this theme area its typical consistent atmosphere. The generous pergolas and climbers are creating a semi-enclosed
space for the visitors between the exhibits with
shade in summer. Visibility of the cats in the
Cat Valley can be improved when glass panels
and harp wire would alternate as barriers.
Interactive elements for learning about cat biology will be set up in Cat Valley to add interest
to the exhibits and slow down visitors when
walking through Cat Valley. An interpretation
kiosk will replace an unused exhibit with multimedia information about cat conservation.
Tiger interpretation, Bronx Zoo.
Harpwire used as a barrier for a snow
leopard exhibit at Bronx Zoo.
A shelter for watching
a video at Bronx Zoo.
45
9.4. Camel Heights
The actual exhibits for Bactrian camel, gazelle,
kulan and Przewalski horse have four stables
that are typical Finnish farm buildings. These
will be replaced by one single building in between
the exhibits, that will have a less obtrusive colour and be hidden between trees and bushes. In
winter, this building will be accessible for visitors
in order to provide additional shelter and insight
into the holding of these species. Service access
will be at the backside of the building.
Interpretation will be offered in a yurt-like
building in front of the stable. Real yurts may
temporarily serve as attractive shelters for
overnight events at the zoo.
The paddock next to the Pukki restaurant needs
some upgrade to look more pleasing. A grassy
moat instead of the pavings, islands of grasses
in the exhibit (all protected by electric grass)
and grasses around the fence may improve the
look and better convey the image of a steppe.
Riding on a horse model
at Munster Zoo.
46
Viewing area with telescope
at Hanover Zoo.
Przewalsky horse silhouette model at
Langenberg Wild Animal Park.
Interpretation corner inside the yurt
at Salzburg Zoo ©Chris Waltzer
9.5. Monkeys
Monkeys are very attractive for visitors and
baboons the only bigger primate species at
Helsinki Zoo. However, they are not hardy and
have to stay indoors during most of the winter.
Access to the upper floor of the building should
be improved. A wooden ramp on the West side
of the building, from the lower path across the
rock area to the upper floor, with views of the
rock area. When using this ramp, visitors do
not need to walk the service road or use the
stairs on the backside of the building, except
for times when the ramp is closed due to snow
or repair.
This measure will provide access to the upper
viewing area of the Monkeys exhibit for visitors who cannot (easily) use stairs. Additionally
it will provide access to a new Rock Butterfly
Garden. This will be an area on the West side of
the Monkeys that will be planted with native
flowering plants of rocky habitats and serve as
a food source for various insects. Interpretation
will be provided on a wooden platform that will
be integrated into the boardwalk.
The current baboon enclosure.
47
9.6. Finnish Forest
The Finnish Forest theme area includes the existing exhibits for otters, European mink, owls,
reindeer and wolverine.
Moose is the Finnish icon animal, that tourists
expect to find at Helsinki Zoo. The takins therefore will give way to moose. Since the building
of the Borealia exhibit will be used for lorikeets
in the Australian theme area, this type of display will be recreated in the Finnish wildlife
theme area and provide an indoor experience in
this theme area. Martens are hardly ever visible
and therefore candidates for giving way to a Borealia bird display.
A Finnish kota will be built along the visitor
path to provide a shelter on rainy days. The otter holding building will be opened to visitors
during winter for video information about otter
conservation.
Moose at Langenberg Wild Animal Park.
A typical Lapland kota in Ranua zoo.
48
Finnish forest theme area
rabbits
rock climbing
indoor
play
new visitor path
kiosk
moose
terrace
Indoor playground
at Woodland Park Zoo.
moose
exhibit
clearing
of woods,
open the view
Borealia
aviary
kota
picnic
9.7. Rabbits
The rabbits are very attractive for visitors and
deserve a larger and sunnier place than they
have now, next to the tiger exhibit. When the
city’s compost facility is operating, the zoo
will take its compost there and can remove the
compost building behind the takin stable. This
will give way for an indoor playground, kiosk,
rabbit exhibit and a surrounding Rock Climbing
playground for picnic and climbing.
A new path will take visitors up to the snow
leopards with a smooth grade. This path will
replace the parallel one going up and down
between the rocks without any exhibits along
the way.
The new rabbit exhibit will complement the
Rock Climbing playground and be connected to
the building with an indoor rabbit exhibit and
indoor playground.
0
5
10
50m
49
9.8. European Bison
The bison exhibit recently was renovated and is
therefore not going to be changed for the years
coming. The stable will be accessible for visitors
during the winter.
50
9.9. Bears Bay
This theme area extends from the eagle aviary
to the wapiti exhibit. A number of circumpolar species are suitable for the theme and allow
flexibility in the animal collection.
The Rocky Mountain goats are not endangered
and therefore not recommended to be kept at
zoos. They may be replaced by snowy and great
grey owls. The exhibit used to be an aviary before it was changed for the goats.
Once the auditorium at the entrance is available, the Bear Castle can be removed to give way
to a much larger restaurant and bear exhibits
that extend below the slope, so that the bears
can also enjoy the shade of trees and the view
of the sea, while their indoor enclosures can be
maintained.
51
9.10. Parrot Landing,
Amazonia, Africasia
The area between the service buildings, Africasia
and Camel Hill will be redesigned for Australian species. This theme area will include a wallaby walk-through, a lorikeet and/or budgerigar
walk-through, reptiles, emus and other birds.
Many cockatoo species are endangered. Some of
them will be kept and bred behind the scenes.
Africasia is a greenhouse with a dry and a humid zone, accommodating birds, reptiles, amphibia, tortoises and some small mammals
from the desert and the tropics respectively.
Amazonia is a tropical hall for small monkeys
and other small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibia and fish. A design project for the renovation of the Amazonia house is under way.
Parrot Landing will be a walk-through aviary
with small parrots. It will be part of an indoor
theme area with Australian species.
All together, the tropical halls of Amazonia, Africasia and Australia will form the “Hot Heart”
of the zoo, where visitors can stay indoors, in a
subtropical environment.
The underground passage between Amazonia and Africasia could be more appealing. The
current displays asks for attention that they
will not receive in this environment of moving
crowds. Rather than content, the design should
provide atmosphere. A consistent aesthetical
wall treatment, a soundscape – for example
with sounds from tropical countries – and an
interactive floor lighting of lava and fire has
been proposed.
52
HOT HEART
Lämmin ydin
Entrance/
Conservation Center
Tropical Halls
The zoo in Winter, Amazonia and Africasia in the rear.
0
50
100 m
An example of landscaping with planting and building structure integrated.
53
9.11. Nocturama, Vicuna Heights
An indoor exhibition of night active animals is
envisioned along a ramp of 30 to 40 meters, that
will connect the lower level of the Amazonia exit
with the higher level of the Amazonia aviaries.
The historic Bear Castle next to Amazonia will
serve as the entrance. For this purpose, it will be
necessary to open the rear wall of the Bear Castle for a cave entrance. Reptiles, amphibia, fish
and/or bats from South America may complement the Amazonia exhibits.
The area connecting Amazonia with the entrance/exit will be used the display of for South
American species. The visitors will have the option to stay on a sheltered path or to walk outside through a vicuna exhibit. Additionally, the
area may exhibit guinea pigs, coatis, Patagonian
conures and Humboldt penguins. The outdoor
South American animal collection will complement the indoor Amazonia collection.
Penguins at
Vogelpark
Walsrode
54
9.12. Kea Canyon,
Conservation Centre
A group of keas will be started in the Australian
theme area and later move to their own aviary
in the canyon close to the exit. This area is similar to the natural kea habitat, which is totally
different from Australian habitats. A kea aviary
will make an interesting highlight at the zoo
exit, once the kea group numbers at least five
individuals. When experiences with kea walkthrough exhibits in New Zealand are satisfactory, this visitor experience may be offered too.
The Conservation Centre at the entrance will
offer exhibits of fish, reptiles, amphibia and
insects as the first or last indoor animal display
area. This indoor exhibition and an elevator to
the “Hot Heart” of the zoo will give visitors the
opportunity to stay indoors during their whole
visit from the entrance and throughout the
“Hot Heart” of the zoo.
Wild kea in New Zealand.
Exhibition space at
Unterwasserwelt Schrems.
55
1 0 . A n i m a l m a n ag e m e n t
The animal collection at Helsinki Zoo is subject
to a complex decision process that includes many
considerations, such as the status of a species in
the wild, the need of keeping and breeding it in
the zoo, EAZA recommendations about holding
and breeding the species, staff expertise, availability of the species, its adaptation to the Finnish climate, its needs regarding social groups, the
feasibility of providing appropriate holding conditions, the probability of getting, keeping and
placing off-spring, the potential attractiveness of
the species for visitors, and its suitability for education programmes. The collection planning policy of Helsinki Zoo is described in HAEKE (2008).
projects: snowy owls and golden eagles have
been released into the wild in Finland.
Decisions on keeping certain species may have
to be changed within a short time because of
changing conditions and requirements. Therefore the strategic plan does not list species to
be kept in the future, but focuses on theme areas that allow various suitable species.
In the future, Helsinki Zoo will continue supporting in-situ projects by conservation education and fundraising. Fundraising will be done
among common zoo public as well as by joint
efforts between the zoo and suitable partners.
10.1. Conservation
Meet the rabbit at Brookfield Zoo.
56
For the last several decennia, Helsinki Zoo has
been active in successful breeding of endangered species, such as snow and Amur leopards,
Asian lions, macaws, South American callitrix
species and several bird of prey species. During
the last 15 years, in-situ projects have become
an important part of the conservation work of
Helsinki Zoo. Leopards in the Amur area and
tiger conservation work have been among the
most important projects. Participation in EAZA
in-situ projects by delivering valuable animals
for European release programs (e.g. eagle owls,
European wild cats, Alpine ibex, European lynx)
have been important conservation efforts. Helsinki Zoo has also run a few nation wide release
In addition, Helsinki Zoo actively participates
in EAZA conservation projects (Madagascar, Amphibia, Tiger, Rainforest, Carnivora)
through education programmes and fundraising. The Zoo’s Nature School and summer
camps contribute to conservation education.
Local conservation projects have included rescuing of amphibians from areas affected by
building projects, as well as cure and rehabilitation of endangered wildlife.
The Zoo will take part in local conservation
projects, such as the conservation of the habitats of endangered invertebrates and amphibians. Education, both in the zoo as well as in
the local community (through school visits,
cooperation with the Science Centre, museums,
Finnish forestry services, foundations of environmental research) will be intensified.
10.2. Wildlife rescue
The wildlife rescue centre will stay a part of the
zoo in the future. The expertise of the zoo keepers and veterinarians can be utilised for this purpose. The facilities on Palosaari island offer a safe
way of working for wildlife rescue close to the existing zoo. The funding of the wildlife rescue operations will be re-considered in the near future.
Snake demonstration at Aqua Silkeborg.
Seal training demonstration at Frankfurt Zoo.
10.3. Animal enrichment
Animal enrichment and training has the potential to educate zoo visitors about animal behaviour much more effectively than through signs
because they become emotionally involved
and can receive complementary information
through several channels – seeing, listening and
reading. Food and non-food enrichment can be
provided on a frequent, but random basis, in
order to increase animal activity and interest. If
placed in visitor view, enrichment has the potential to keep the active animal in visitor view
and thereby increase visitor viewing times.
An animal enrichment plan may be developed in
order to regularly introduce enrichment, and to
find the needs for adaptations of existing exhibits.
10.4. Domestic animals and pets
There is a tradition to display only wild animals
on Korkeasaari, with a few exceptions. Furthermore, there is a policy not to touch the animals
at Helsinki Zoo. However, there is much value
of displaying some domestic animals and pets.
Keeping tame animals is an opportunity for allowing visitors the experience of having close
contact with animals and to develop empa-
thy for them. As a rule, the animals makes the
choice of having contact with visitors.
Currently, educators use snakes, tortoises and
insects, although these can also be kept as
pets. A wider choice of species for hands-on
demonstrations (preferably pets and domestic animals) is desirable. However, the topic of
pet keeping should not interfere with the zoo’s
main competence in wild animals.
Rabbits, guinea-pigs, lorikeets and budgerigars
are species that will be available for hands-on
experiences on Korkeasaari.
Keeping farm animals has been considered
on Mustikkamaa. This location would allow
the spatial separation of domestic and wild
animals, that is desirable for veterinary and
didactic reasons. An animal attraction on
Mustikkamaa would make the walk from the
parking lot to Korkeasaari much more enjoyable. Such a project needs extra resources for
building and maintenance and additional staff.
The stables have to be secured against vandalism and the paddocks have to be supervised.
The option of such a display farm was not followed for the time being.
57
10.5. Off-exhibit holding
Since captive breeding may be the only option
to maintain certain endangered species in the
future, the need for off-exhibit breeding enclosures will rise substantially. Facilities, such as
guest rooms and office space are needed for intensified cooperation with other zoos.
Helsinki zoo is short of suitable enclosures to
hold animals off-exhibit, to allow transactions
and breeding management. Currently, Cat Valley has some off-exhibit holding facilities, a
paddock behind the musk ox exhibit is used for
off-exhibit holding (currently for the bison) and
a paddock behind the reindeer exhibit is used
for reindeer management. Some enclosures on
view are multi-purpose such as the enclosure
behind Amazonia (vultures, red pandas, wolverines) and several aviaries. Young owls often
have to wait in these aviaries for being shipped
to other institutions. This type of enclosure is
needed, but should not be on view because it
will rarely look very pleasing nor fit the theme
of the surrounding area. The tropical halls lack
breeding facilities for birds.
Off-exhibit multi-purpose animal enclosures
should be constructed in various locations at
the Zoo to enable breeding research and captive breeding at larger scale, in order to be able
to take part in national and international release projects. Species such as large and small
cats, European mustelids, large parrots and
European amphibians are possible target species for future in-situ activities. The strategic
plan reserves several areas for off-exhibit holding and breeding:
• The area between cats and guanacos will be prepared
for flexible holding of hoofed species.
OFF-EXHIBIT HOLDING
Varatarhat
• The actual musk ox and temporary bison enclosures
will be reserved for off-exhibit purposes. The musk
ox enclosure is not a good display area because it
slopes down from the visitor path and competes with
the future Camel Hill interpretation area. It will be
screened off with vegetation.
• W hen relocating the Nature School and reorganizing
the area for Australian exhibits, off-exhibit areas for
aviaries and for a multipurpose holding will be reserved around the service buildings.
• An annex building to Africasia will serve as a offexhibit holding for tropical species.
• Part of the Conservation Centre will be prepared for
off-exhibit holding and breeding.
0
50
100
200m
Legend
now
nykyinen
58
additional
lisättävä
1 1 . W i n t e r at t r ac t i o n s
Indoor space for winter visitors does not need
to be as large as for summer crowds. This allows more intimate experiences but may also
require more control.
Zoo indoor experiences in winter can give a
special insight into animal management, such
as empty animal shift areas, food preparation
and insect breeding. When stables of hardy species are open for visitors, this does not always
mean that animals will be indoors. Nevertheless, the view “behind the scenes” is interesting
for zoo visitors. The winter experiences have to
be designed and prepared for this purpose to be
safe for staff, animals and visitors.
PROPOSED WINTER PATH
Talvireittiehdotus
In stables where animals are present, potential
risks for visitors and animals need to be evaluated. In case of such risks, surveillance by staff
or cameras or separation by solid barriers such
as glass will be necessary.
Entrance
Conservation
Center
Hay storage in proximity of visitors may pose
a risk of fire. In animal stables, hay should
be separated from the visitor area by a solid
wall. On the other hand, hay and straw are
very attractive for play and can provide a
very special visitor experience. The design of
a winter indoor play area with hay and straw
therefore has been considered for the current
guanaco stable.
Penguins
Vicuna
Africasia
Australia
Musk ox
shelter
Amazonia
Pukki
restaurant
Mongolian
yurt
Monkeys
Cat Valley
shelter
Otter
encounter
Bison stable
Finnish
kota
Borealia
aviary
0
50
100
200 m
Legend
proposed winter path
talvireitti
The zoo in Winter.
Current hay storage may provide
a special visitor experience in Winter.
sheltered winter attraction
suojeltu talvinähtävyys
59
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT ON KORKEASAARI
Korkeasaaren hulevesihallinta
Stormwater so far was collected along paths and
discharged to the sea or to the sewer. In the future, stormwater should be retained, naturally
treated and reused as much as possible. This will
reduce undesirable impacts of nutrients on the
environment and avoid the use of drinking water for purposes that can be fulfilled with stormwater. For this purpose, an analysis of the actual
stormwater runoff was completed in 2009.
Nr. 3a
Nr. 2a
Nr. 3
Nr. 3a
Nr. 2
Nr. 1
Nr. 1a
12. Wetland
The strategic plan aims at developing a stormwater treatment system that includes retention, infiltration, biological treatment and reuse. At the
same time, the areas for stormwater treatment
will serve recreation and education purposes.
12.1. Surface
Nr. 1a
Historic paths had porous surface and swales that
allowed stormwater to penetrate the soil. Today,
most paths at the zoo have asphalt surface and
discharge stormwater into sewer outlets. Paths
that are laid out perpendicular to contour lines
channel and speed up stormwater flow. These
paths need to be changed, in order to divert
stormwater into the neighbouring green space.
Legend
main runoff route
hulevesi pääreitti
watershed directly/indirectly linked to treatment facility
Nr. 1 + 1a
Nr. 2 + 2a
0
50
100
200m
Nr. 3 + 3a
by Lauri Harilainen, WSP Finland Oy
60
12.2. Sewers
The mixed sewers on Korkeasaari will be investigated for their sources and changed for
separate treatment of stormwater and sewage.
Erosion control will be introduced at critical locations. Most stormwater can be collected and
treated near the entrance, the Seal Harbour, in
the area of the current geese holding and in the
area between Hylkysaari and Korkeasaari. Each
of these four areas will have its distinctive design that fits the surroundings.
12.3. Stormwater treatment
The retention in and passage through wetlands
will be the best treatment option for stormwater on Korkeasaari. Five areas were identified
for the collection and treatment of the island’s
stormwater. Wetland West will be in the location of the current shop at the harbour, wetland South will be between Korkeasaari and
Hylkysaari and wetland East will be in the location of the duck house. The design of the entrance will have to include stormwater treatment. The moats of the Alpine Ibex exhibits
require a technique for treating stormwater.
Wetland East
se
rv
i ce
service area
a
ro
off-exhibit holding
d
Nature
school
to be
relocated
sea shore
staff
building
Zoo path collecting rainwater.
outflow
service
area
tree, shrubs
WC
picnic
shelter
er
th
oa
d
pa
aviary
vic
v
or
isit
ser
sittings
playground:
Green Corner
Zoo path diverting rainwater.
wetland
12.4. Stormwater projects
vis
The Wetland East will replace the geese building
and aviaries. Because of the utility lines for water,
sewer and district heating crossing the site, the retention pond will take about the space of the building and the reeds wetland continue from its edge
to the road along the shore. A picnic area and shelter with public toilets will complement the neighbouring Green Corner playground. Part of the wetland can be used for an aviary for waterfowl. The
overflow from the wetland can be channelled to an
existing pipe under the road to the sea.
The Wetland West will replace the shop and
toilet building at the harbour. This area is just
large enough to take the stormwater from the
surrounding catchment areas. At the same
time, it will form a green backdrop and buffer
zone for the Seal Harbour exhibit.
green swale
i to
rp
at
h
green swale
open drain on asphalt
visitor path
Bears Bay
inflo
w/tu
reed/järviruoko
lovir
ta
0
5
10
ove
rflow
/y
highest water table
us
livuo
normal
water table
50m
meandering water
course/virtausuoma
pool/tasausallas
sediment/sedimentti
Water entering the wetland origins from the zoo area.
Rainwater running on surfaces in urban areas is also
called stormwater. Stormwater carries different kind of
pollutants such as nutrient from animal enclosures.
Wetland is designed to improve the quality of stormwater before the receiving water, Baltic Sea.
First the stormwater passes by pool where sedimention
of solids takes place. This pool function also as flow
regulator before the main wetland area. As water enters
the wetland, flow velocity reduces and part of the
pipe
/pur
pool/allas
outfl
kupu
tki
to
ow/
lä
htöv
irta
Kosteikkoon johdettava vesi on peräisin eläintarhan
alueen maanpinnalta. Sadevettä, joka valuu maanpinnalla rakennetuilla alueilla, kutsutaan myös hulevedeksi.
Hulevesi sisältää kiintoainesta kuten hiekkaa sekä
ravinteita
eläinaitauksista.
Kosteikon plan
tarkoituksena
on
helsinki
zoo master
2012–2022
parantaa huleveden laatua ennen sen johtamista
Itämereen.
Aluksi hulevesi johdetaan kosteikon alkuupäässä
tasausaltaaseen, joka pidättää kiintoaineista ja tasaa
kosteikkoon menevää virtausta. Kosteikkoalueella
us
61
Wetland South
12.5. Wetland South
The Wetland South is planned in the open water area between Korkeasaari and Hylkysaari islands. It is the largest of the wetland areas and
will therefore be designed for stormwater collection and treatment, nature experience, interpretation and play. The integration of an aviary
is also considered.
bison
sand beach
to be restored
moose
aviary
interpretation
shelter
visitor path
deck
outflow
Display:
Life in Baltic Sea
wetland
theme play:
raft
sea shore
A’
Display:
Life in Baltic Sea
rock
deck
vis
wetland
i to
rp
at
h
dec
k
Hylkysaari
0
62
5
10
50m
The boardwalks and platforms may be floating
so that visitors can be close to the water surface, but storms will not overflow them.
Vehicle access to the wetland will be useful for
the yearly cutting of the reeds and other maintenance as well as for dumping snow from the
island.
deck
A
The role of blue algae for the Baltic Sea may
be explained in an interpretation shelter. An
aquarium with saduria entomon will be interesting for observation and interpretation. Microscopes should be available for inspecting
water creatures. A raft can be pulled on a rope
from the boardwalk to a platform at the main
path. Along the boardwalks through the wetland, oversized models of animals that are typical for wetlands will be displayed, from gammarus to frog. The aviary may display herons.
Villa Ida
Raft on a water playground in Vienna.
Wetland south Section A-A’
theme play:
raft
visitor path
wetland
shore
63
13. Hylkysaari island
A special focus on interpretation on the Baltic Sea can be a major theme for developing
Hylkysaari island. Since children’s interest is critical for zoo visitor’s decisions on where to spend
time at the zoo, it is important to offer experiences that are inviting and exciting for children.
Visitors will be able to follow a Nature Walk
around the island where they will find interpretation about the history and the wildlife of
the archipelago as well as about threats to the
Baltic Sea. Several buildings will offer exhibitions in this context. The combination of marine biology, art and play in an indoor space will
attract visitors to the island which may not be
much interested in classic museum exhibitions.
A picnic area and interpretation about the natural habitats on the island will add to a special
nature experience.
The Finnish Maritime Museum, the National
Forest and Park Service, the Helsinki Commission, the Baltic Sea Action Group, the Maritime
Research Centre, the Finnish Environment Institute, the Nessling Foundation and the John
Nurminen Foundation are potential supporters
for the creation of exhibits on Hylkysaari.
BUILDINGS ON HYLKYSAARI
Hylkysaaren rakennukset
The piers (209, 210) on the West shore may be
used for displaying the Aranda research vessel.
The neighbouring building (208) could introduce the sea research by the Maritime Research
Centre and the Finnish Environment Institute
with an exhibition on experiments that visitors
may do or follow. The residential building on the
South side (202) could serve as a guest house
while the other one on the North side (207)
could serve as a permanent staff residence. Other buildings (201, 203, 204, 205, 206) are available for exhibitions, while one of them (maybe
206, because it will not be disturbed by zoo visitors) will be used by the Nature School, additionally to its main building at the zoo entrance and
by the theatre group for rehearsing and storage.
Hylkysaarensalmi
Hyljeallas
105
211
206
207
The building on the East side (205) served research on shipwrecks and may become an archaeological exhibition.
205
210
204
Overnight stay and food will be offered at the
historic main building that will be turned into a
hotel. A public pier and terrace may be offered
for day guests who do not enter the zoo. Zoo
visitors arriving in private boats will have to get
an entry ticket online or at the zoo entrance.
Hylkysaari
208
201
200
202
0
64
50
203
100 m
Baltic sea © Anu ja Ilkka Lastumäki
John Nurminen Foundation, Clean Baltic Sea project.
13.1. Algae House
The Algae House is a concept for an indoor playground and exhibition on microscopic organisms in the Baltic Sea. Algae are critical for the
state of the Baltic Sea. However, they are mostly unknown and unseen. Artistic installations
of microscopic organisms will be used to create
a unique and exciting indoor environment and
more interest in these organisms. Algae are also
an important source of nutrients for men and
animals in many regions. The exhibition will
give an insight into the food chain in oceans
and human use of algae.
An example of “Life of Algae” exhibition in Japan..
In a research project on conservation education about oceans that was completed in the
United States (www.theoceanproject.org) it was
found that youth (ages 12 to 17) are more concerned about the ocean and other environmental issues than their parents. While the parent
remains the “decision-maker”, the child increasingly is becoming the “opinion-maker” on
environment-related issues. It is therefore essential to create exhibitions that are attractive
and informative for young people.
65
The educational philosophy of zoos
and aquariums should incorporate the
principles of environmental education and
education for sustainability. This may be
referred to as ‘conservation education’.
(World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, 2005)
66
1 4 . C o m m u n i c at i o n
The traditional channels for communication
with zoo visitors have been advertisements,
flyers, exhibit signs and guided tours. Helsinki
Zoo has successfully started to use new channels such as performances and temporary exhibitions. Further possibilities will be explored.
Multimedia offers may attract young people
who usually stay away from zoos. Multimedia
exhibitions and electronic media will be a new
focus of Helsinki Zoo’s communication.
• W hen accessing the zoo by ferry, bus or street train,
visitors may receive acoustic information on the zoo
from live speakers or records. Videos are not considered as they compete with the view of the landscape.
• A space for temporary exhibitions will be built at the entrance and used for international campaigns by EAZA,
WAZA and IUCN, but also for exhibitions that are
available from international and Finnish institutions.
• A library with computers may serve as a support facility at the entrance that can be used by school groups
and special interest groups such as aquarists and birding societies. The National Forest and Park Service has
an interest in providing information to the Finnish
audience and may help establish such a library and an
exhibition on native wildlife and forest management.
• An auditorium at the entrance will offer scheduled
programs about biodiversity (“Face to Face with Biodiversity”). BBC videos are available for this purpose.
• A “Virtual Zoo” will complement the real zoo animal
exhibits with information on endangered habitats in an
amazing way, with the goal to touch the hearts of visitors and to open their minds for conservation action.
• These new facilities at the entrance will be offered to be
rented by outside institutions who are in search of special locations for meetings and conferences and whose
public image is suitable for cooperation with the zoo.
• The zoo’s animal rescue activities will be made more visible and used for communication about native wildlife.
• Animal exhibits will be interpreted by various means
and on different intellectual and playful levels for a
wide range of visitors. For this purpose, the communication department will be included at an early stage
of exhibit planning.
67
1 5 . C o n s e rvat i o n
e d u c at i o n
Education is a central mission of Helsinki Zoo,
in order to attract, inspire and enable its visitors to act positively for conservation. Education goals are integral to planning the animal
collection, designing exhibits, developing conservation programmes and planning visitor services. This is in accordance with the World Zoo
and Aquarium Conservation Strategy that was
launched by the World Association of Zoos and
Aquariums in 2005.
Helsinki Zoo undertakes informal (free-choice)
education with its visitors, and formal education through developing links with schools, colleges and universities. By participating in curriculum development, the zoo educators keep
their programmes up to date and help ensure
that conservation is incorporated into courses.
Gaining positive experiences in nature is one
and the most zoo relevant principle, stated in
the Finnish school curriculum for teaching biology at schools.
Live animals can be used well beyond biology to
teach animal care, horticulture, exhibit design,
and leisure management. Education is also a
critical component of field conservation, building awareness and support.
15.1. Nature School
The zoo school at Helsinki Zoo is called Nature
School. It is accommodated in a building that is
too small for this purpose. Considering the growing importance of school education at the zoo, the
needs for expansion and replacement are urgent.
The Nature School “Arkki” of Helsinki Zoo provides pupils with participatory learning environments to gain positive experiences in
nature. This is in line with the Finnish school
curriculum for teaching biology at schools. Positive nature experiences are meant to cause the
development of a positive perception of natural
environments, which should lead to respecting
different life forms and to acting towards the
protection of nature.
Various teaching practices are used in programs
and themed events of the Nature School for different school grade levels. Nature School students
also gain experiences with studying animals.
Zoo theatre performance.
15.2. Performances
Helsinki Zoo’s theatre is a group of 24 young
volunteer actors. The theatre was founded in
2007 and by now has produced 13 pieces for zoo
events and campaigns. The plays are entertaining
and educational, with lots of music and dancing.
The theatre has an important role in promoting
sustainable lifestyle and biodiversity issues in accordance with the mission of Helsinki Zoo.
The group needs a space for practising and storage that may be found on Hylkysaari island.
Nature
school event.
68
15.3. Exhibitions
Changing zoo exhibitions are particularly interesting for repeat visitors. Two temporary outdoor exhibitions have become a great tradition
at the zoo: “Art meets Ice” and “Art meets Sand”.
While the “Ice meets Art” exhibition is well located next to the Pukki Restaurant, the “Art meets
Sand” exhibition does not fit the historic park. It
will move to a new beach area between bison and
eagles. At the end of the exhibition, the sand can
be used to replenish the beach.
15.4. Interactive
exhibit interpretation
A real zoo design challenge is the development of
play opportunities which educate beyond social interaction and mobility. Such equipment usually is
developed in a team effort between animal, education and building specialists. A prototype then is
built and tested before production and installation
in order to make effort and expense worthwhile.
If well-done, interactive exhibit interpretation can
be very effective in communicating concepts about
animal characteristics or behaviour.
While space for outdoor exhibitions can be
found on the zoo site, indoor space for exhibitions is scarce. The only suitable space at the
Bear Castle is often used for other purposes.
At Helsinki Zoo, interactives have been produced for temporary use, but have not been
evaluated for permanent installation.
In the future, a special building at the entrance
will accommodate temporary and permanent indoor exhibitions. An auditorium will deliver multimedia programs and a Conservation Centre will
introduce zoo visitors to the world ecosystems
through virtual and real animal habitat exhibits.
The evaluation involves formal research before
design (front-end evaluation), systematic observation during the test (formative evaluation)
and after installation (summative evaluation).
Further information on the process and its outcomes can be found in Ebenhöh (1992).
Art meets Sand, Helsinki Zoo.
Art meets Ice, Helsinki Zoo.
Climbing like a monkey at Hannover Zoo.
Interactive exhibit at Helsinki Zoo.
Jumping like a lynx at Portland Zoo.
Interactive exhibit at Helsinki Zoo.
69
Playground at Bioparque in Colombia.
Wooden crocodile at Helsinki Zoo.
1 6 . N at u r e p l ay
Visitors to Helsinki Zoo seem happy with the
playgrounds (Innolink Research, 2008). Experience from other zoos shows that visitors’ dwell
times and the number of repeat visits increase
when exciting playgrounds are provided. Theme
playgrounds that are different from other playgrounds in the region are a good reason for repeat visits of children and their families to the
zoo. Ideally, there should be various types of
play opportunities well dispersed over the zoo
so that visitors can alternate between attentive
viewing of animal exhibits and frolic play. The
best locations of playgrounds are near picnic
areas and restaurants.
ic conditions in Helsinki also suggest indoor
playgrounds.
The strategic plan calls for playgrounds for specific target groups. The zoo’s playgrounds will
be differently themed, according to activities
that fit their surroundings. The harsh climat-
Children like to use informal play opportunities along their way. Tree trunks, step stones,
logs and pegs for balancing are well used when
placed near the path. They can be part of the
70
Additionally, themed interactive education
games will be offered in the context of animal exhibits, such as animal tracks, and single
items at appropriate locations, such as a swinging ship at the harbour.
16.1. Informal nature play
Natural play opportunities will be developed
additional to formal playgrounds. Landscaping
and art objects can be very effective for play.
path design and landscaping or look like temporarily deposited. This does not make them a
“playground”, but usable “park furniture”.
Some playful educational features - such as
animal tracks and sculptures - will be incorporated into the demonstration area next to
the Pukki Restaurant and serve all ages. Sculptures like the popular wooden crocodile on the
zoo grounds are great for play and interaction
among visitors of all ages. There will be more
such sculptures across the zoo that will be well
used by visitors. If they can be climbed, the
ground should be soft (wood or bark chips) and
the height should not be much over one meter, to be on the safe side. Tall animals could be
shown in sitting or laying positions.
Mammoth Dig at Helsinki Zoo.
PROPOSED PLAYGROUNDS
Ehdotetut leikkipaikat
Become an Animal
age 0-100
Rope Garden
age 6-60
A tree trunk as an informal play opportunity at
Frankfurt Zoo.
16.2. Theme playgrounds
The following playgrounds are planned:
• Rope Garden: Climbing and balancing a few centimetres above ground between trees along the path from
the bridge to the current harbour for the target age
group over 6 years.
• Swings Garden: Various swings for all ages next to
the Guard’s Cafe.
• Rock Climbing: Climbing on natural rock outdoors
and on artificial rock indoors in the area of the compost facility between bison and reindeer that will also
accommodate the rabbit exhibit.
• Otter Hide: Hiding, climbing and sliding near the otter exhibit for the age group 3 to 10 years.
• Beach: Water games and sand play for all ages at the
beach below the eagles.
Green Corner
age 0-100
All target groups can find different play areas
that are suitable for their age. The target group
of small children can use a grass area for crawling, walking and play with natural materials,
such as gravel, cones etc., in the area between
the geese and the owls. They can also use the
Beach below the eagles and special swings for
small children in the Swings Garden. The Beach
and the Swings Garden will be designed to
serve all age groups.
Swings
age 0-100
Rock Climbing
age 6-60
Otter Hide
age 3-10
The target group of children 3 to 10 can play
with sand in the Mammoth Dig at the Bears
Bay or climb on wooden structures at the Otter
Hide. The target group of school children and
adults will find some challenges in the Rope
Garden between the guest house and the historic harbour and in the Rock Garden.
Beach
age 0-100
Algae House
age 0-100
0
50
100
200m
• Mammoth Dig: Sand play for children from 2 to 10
years at the Bears Bay.
Legend
• Green Corner: Play and relax on a lawn next to the
Wetland East.
indoor
sisällä
outdoor
ulkona
71
Otter Hide playground
Otter
Otter Hide
playground
rock garden
Finnish forest
theme area
WC
terrace
restaurant boat
clearing of
woods,
open the view
kota
Theme playground “otter-hide” in Zurich Zoo.
picnic
0
5
10
50m
16.3. Finnish Forest
recreation area
Several projects are planned to improve the
appearance and use of the area between ibex
and reindeer. An “Otter Hide” playground at
the picnic area will target children age 3 to 10
with wooden shelters, climbing and sliding
opportunities. The theme and target group
are in accordance with the strategic plan for
playgrounds on Korkeasaari. The Korkeasaari
Boat Restaurant and a terrace at the shore as
well as picnic shelters and a souvenir kiosk between the shore and the path will replace the
Otter Kiosk and seating place on a far better
72
level of service. A toilet building at the edge
of the slope beyond the otter building will replace the toilets at the kiosk and provide more
space. The kiosk building then will be replaced
by a continuation of the Rock Garden on the
upper side of the path coming from Cat Valley. This will open the view to the sea and the
restaurant boat.
The measures will turn this space into a major
visitor meeting and resting area, strategically
located to improve the use of the South shore
and to complement the services at the harbour,
the Pukki Restaurant and the Bear Castle.
Restaurant boat in Prague.
Overgrown beach today.y
16.4. Beach
Sand beach playground in Vienna.
The area between bison and eagles used to have
an attractive sand beach. The beach will be restored to become a special leisure attraction
that is unique at a zoo. A previous stable will be
turned into lockers, chair rental and storage.
The toilets at the Bear Castle will be improved
and enlarged. Showers, changing facilities and
Sand beach in the 40s.
benches will be complementary services in this
area. The playground will have a water theme
and target all age groups.
These measures will increase the capacity of
recreation areas at the Bear Castle that can
currently hardly answer the needs during the
busy season.
73
74
1 7 . Th e z o o a s a w o r k p l ac e
Helsinki Zoo is a work place for 75 people
whose safety and motivation are critical for a
successful operation.
17.1. Staff development
Staff is well educated, but needs opportunities for continuous vocational training in the
highly specialized and rapidly evolving zoo
management techniques. Funding of travels
for exchange with international professionals
in the field (participation in international conferences) will be available for this purpose. The
participation in professional discussion fora
on the internet is encouraged. Special training should be offered when developing projects
that require new staff expertise such as the use
of natural substrates in indoor animal exhibits,
the use of vegetation in animal exhibits, animal
enrichment and training, sustainable stormwater management and the development of interactive visitor interpretation.
Training and testing of new techniques needs
to be scheduled well in advance so that staff
can gain the confidence that is necessary to
successfully maintain a new system or new species. A keeper training plan may be developed
that includes visits of staff from and to other
zoos and participation in professional courses
and meetings.
The number of staff with expertise in special
fields will have to increase with a growth of visitor numbers, special events and programs.
17.2. Service traffic
For staff and guests to Korkeasaari there are 24
parking spaces at the bridge landing, 19 at the
lower end and 5 at the higher end of the service area. These will be maintained and should
be sufficient in the future. A garage for zoo and
private bikes can be an incentive to use this
sustainable mode of transport.
Currently, service and pedestrian traffic are not
separated and visitors have access to the main
service area from all sides. For security and comfort of the visitors, service areas will be fenced
and taken out of the visitor circulation system.
Vehicle access is possible to all animal exhibits
and visitor amenities. Since the work time of
the keepers starts well before opening hours,
service access to the enclosures in general does
not conflict with visitor circulation.
A map of service roads that are necessary for
delivery, garbage collection and access to service buildings will be developed that also includes storage spaces and snow dumps.
17.3. Storage for
construction materials
A new depot was built in 2009 and a new bison
stable will be the central storage for hay and
straw by 2010. An inventory was completed in
2009 to find that there is enough storage space,
once it is well organized. Particularly the storage spaces in the workshops and on Palosaari
Zoo experts.
need to be reorganized. The visibility of the
storage facilities on Palosaari from the visitor
areas on Korkeasaari should be respected.
The storage area on Palosaari is not large
enough for construction materials, and construction traffic is not compatible with the
quarantine and rehabilitation facility on the
island. A space on Mustikkamaa, near the entrance, is therefore used for construction materials. It will be organized so that it will not spoil
the first impression of the zoo entrance.
On the left:
Zoo entrance at Korkeasaari in Winter.
75
SERVICE ZONE
STORAGE FACILITIES
Toimisto- ja leikkipaikat
Varastointi
Central kitchen 375 m2:
animal food
Workshops 100m2:
tools
Villa
Workshop
Workshop
Palosaari 1200 m2:
horticulture and
construction materials
Administration
Staff
building
Bison stable 110 m2:
central hay and
straw storage
Compost facility 150m2
0
50
100
200m
Legend
0
76
50
100 m
indoor storage
sisätila
outdoor storage
ulkotila
sheltered storage
katettu
to be removed
purettava
Central depot 1330 m2:
Indoor 400 m2:
building materials (100 m2),
furniture (300 m2)
Sheltered 630 m2:
compost (60 m2),
small containers (150 m2),
fuel (30 m2), machines (390 m2)
Outdoor 300 m2:
vehicles (200 m2),
waste containers (100 m2)
17.4. Indoor space
17.5. Project management
The needs for additional office and workshop
space was evaluated in 2009.
Effective zoo project management is cost efficient and responsive to the zoo’s tasks of education, conservation, recreation and research. It
requires suitable planning tools and a planning
process that adequately involves all relevant
stakeholders.
There is a lack of changing facilities at the entrance on Mustikkamaa and at the main service
building. This can be alleviated if bakery and
lunch room were moved out of the building to
another location.
Staff can have lunch in the staff eating room
in summer and at the Pukki Restaurant in winter. Currently, there is no special space designated for staff at the restaurant. This should
be changed in order to give staff more privacy
and to separate people in working garment
from visitors.
The stakeholders in zoo projects are advocating
for various interests, such as animal welfare,
animal conservation, visitor experience, interpretation, conservation of the landscape and
natural resources, maintenance, finances and
more. Communication with the public through
media work and exhibit interpretation will be
developed at an earlier stage of animal exhibit
planning in the future.
The staff eating room is not well used. The reasons are not very clear. A survey among staff
about desirable lunch service may help to address the poor use of current services. A well
used staff lunch room is not only good service
for staff, but also facilitates quick informal communication among people who are working in
different places and otherwise rarely meet. The
existing outdoor space with seating between
service buildings partly serves this purpose.
A complete analysis of buildings, exhibits, utility lines and various visible structures, such as
manholes, was done in 2009. As a result, a map
with numbered buildings and exhibits and a
table relating to the map were prepared by the
city’s architects’ office. The map has a 100 by
100 meter grid with numbers and letters for
easy reference. The table provides information
on all zoo buildings and exhibits on Korkeasaari, Palosaari and Mustikkamaa.
The following table gives rough estimates for
additional staff numbers and corresponding
space needs, including all support facilities
such as lockers, kitchen, meeting rooms, toilets, and storage.
The table on the left has the potential to serve
as a project management tool in the future.
estimated indoor space
administration
estimate
for future
staff
options for future work
space
estimate for
additional
space in m²
7 (director, secretary,
administration chief,
project management,
economy, human
resources, information
technology)
8 - 10
6 - 8 in new office building
200
2 - 3 (director and others) on
upper floor of villa (= historic
Curator's Residence)
in administration building
library
currently 24 m²
in villa
animal
management
marketing
60 to 70 m² on lower floor of
villa including computer and
reading
0
4 (head, 2 curators, head
keeper) in villa
6
4 - 6 in new office building
150
3 (head, 2 assistants)
3
new office building
100
9
new office building
170
5
5 on upper floor of
administration building
0
renovation of workshops
0
1
near education
50
10
2 on upper floor of
administration building, tools
at workshop
0
1
garage for pathology
0
education
The need for additional indoor space was incorporated into the requirements for the entrance area.
current staff and work
space
6 - 8 (head, secretary, 2
assistants, 1-3 guides)
in villa
maintenance
3 (head, 2 staff)
construction
2-4
in workshop building
sign workshop
1
horticulture
9 (head, 3 gardeners, 5
maintenance)
in gardeners' building
veterinary
1
staff changing,
laundry, toilets
in staff building
building sufficient when
bakery and lunch room move
out
0
lunch room
in staff building
centrally located between
offices and workshops to
facilitate communication,
indoors and outdoors
first improve
use of current
facilities, then
estimate add.
space needs
Nature School
two classrooms, teacher's
room, kitchen, toilets,
storage
replacement for actual
building near entrance and
offices
200
77
1 8 . S u s ta i n a b i l i t y
Helsinki Zoo naturally has an interest in sustainable solutions that are consistent with its mission to conserve species and natural habitats.
• Helsinki Zoo operates in accordance with the City’s
CO2 policies and City Planning.
• The Zoo has always followed the policy of focussing on
animal species from Nordic and Alpine regions that
can cope with the climatic conditions of Finland and
do not need heated shelters. The only exceptions are
the tropical halls that form the “Hot Heart” of the zoo.
• The strategic plan makes suggestions for more sustainable modes of transport for visitor access to the zoo.
This should reduce the use of cars for arrival from actual
two thirds of all visitors to one third or less.
• For financial sustainability, the zoo will investigate
new structures for generating funds and for getting
support from various stakeholders.
• There is potential for involving members of the local society into the zoo’s education and conservation programs. Examples in other zoos show that
volunteer programs can have a positive impact on
the volunteers themselves by educating them. Visitor
education and research programs can be expanded
with support of volunteers and thereby reach much
more visitors. This will also positively influence the
public image of the zoo.
• Shops and restaurants are certified for being environmentally friendly. Fruit and vegetables are organic,
fish is from MSC certified sources, tea, coffee and
chocolate are Fair Trade products and plastic toys do
not contain phthalates (a chemical that is considered
to be detrimental). In the spring 2010 all restaurants, cafés and kiosks in Helsinki Zoo were awarded
the Nordic Swan Eco-label. Improvements are
planned regarding a central storage at the entrance to
reduce internal traffic and seating capacities during
the high season.
• The collection of stormwater and sewage on Korkeasaari will be separated for sustainable treatment.
Stormwater will be collected and treated in suitable
places that will have their distinctive design to fit
their surroundings. Erosion control will be introduced
at critical locations.
• Replanting trees will be part of all redesign projects
on Korkeasaari and support efforts to retain stormwater.
• Beaches will be restored to their natural state.
Modificated shore at Korkeasaari
to be restored to its natural state.
78
79
references
city of helsinki (2009) Helsinki Zoo Ideas Competition – Evaluation Report. Helsinki, Finland. ISSN 0787-9024
leinikki jouni et al. (2004) Aaltojen Alle. Itämeren Vedenalaisen Luonnon
Opas. Like Kustannus Oy. Helsinki, Finland. ISBN 952-471-297-0
ebenhöh monika (1992) Evaluating Zoo Design – The Importance of Visitor Studies. Thesis submitted to the University of Agricultural Sciences.
Vienna, Austria.
maslow a.h. (1943) A Theory of Human Motivation, Psychological Review 50: 370–96. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts.
finlay t., lawrence r.j., maple t.l. (1988) People’s perceptions of animals: The influence of zoo environment. Environment and Behavior, vol. 20,
no. 4. Sage Publications. Newbury Park, California.
haeke jan-willem (2008) A tool for Collection Planning at Helsinki Zoo.
A 4th year Animal Management internship assignment at Helsinki Zoo. Van
Hall Larenstein. Wageningen, Netherlands.
innolink research (2008) Korkeasaaren Eläintarha – Kävijätutkimus
2008. Tampere, Finland.
pugh c. (1991) Summary report of findings: Visitor orientation and preparation. Memorandum. Brookfield Zoo. Chicago, Illinois.
rosenfeld s. (1979) The context of informal learning in zoos. Roundtable
Reports, 4/2. Museum Education Roundtable. American Association of
Museums. Washington, D.C.
tikkanen toini (1986) Kasviplanktonopas. Suomen Luonnonsuojelun
Tuki Oy. Forssan kirjapaino Oy. Helsinki, Finland. ISBN 951-9381-16-3
www.balticmuseums.org (2010)
kellert s. (1979) Public attitudes toward critical wildlife and natural
habitat issues: Phase I. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Commerce,
National Technical Information Service, Fish and Wildlife Service.
Washington, D.C.
www.balticsea2020.org/attachments/101_Clean Baltic Sea Project.pdf
(2010)
kivirinta hiroko (2008) Zoo Renewal – “Landscaping the Wild” – Masterplan for the Helsinki Zoo. Thesis submitted to the Helsinki University
of Technology. Helsinki, Finland.
www.puhdasitameri.fi (2010)
korkeasaari visitor interview (2008) Summary of Visitor Study. Helsinki Zoo. Helsinki, Finland.
www.johnnurmisensaatio.fi (2010)
www.theoceanproject.org (2010)

Masterplan

Transcription

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