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Edinburgh Zoo - A case study

Edinburgh Zoo, A Case Study

Client Vision

As part of a new development and enclosure – Tiger Tracks - the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) needed five new viewing shelters for visitors to the zoo.

Completed in 2017, Tiger Tracks is more than three times the size of the tigers’ previous enclosure and cost in the region of half a million pounds. Built specifically for its breeding pair of critically endangered Sumatran tigers, it features a ground level viewing tunnel for visitors, covered pathways, a high level viewing area, feeding post and cubbing den. It also gives the tigers climbing structures, heated rocks to relax on, ponds to splash in and a new indoor house.

The Lapa Company were recommended to the RZSS via our work at Port Lympne Wildlife Park, part of the renowned Aspinall foundation and as such RZSS approached us to collaborate on the project.

Our proposal

Five open sided structures all suitable as visitor viewing shelters, ranging in size from 2.4m x 2m to 4.8m x 4m.
All structures would be larch clad timber buildings, four with Cedar Shingle roofs and the fifth with a galvanised steel roof as per the RZSS plan.

Completion

We sent a team all the way from Kent up to Edinburgh to complete the installations. Working with a local team from Edinburgh, the shelters were completed in under two weeks. The stunning surroundings of Edinburgh Zoo were a great setting for the buildings, though the team weren't expecting to be quite so up close to the Tigers during construction - a unique and captivating experience for all who were there.