Rob Halpern

You might also look at some of the zoos: Randers Rainforest (Denmark) , Burgers Bush (the Netherlands), Masaola Rainforest (ZooZurich) for a different concept. There are fine public glasshouses in Amsterdam, Adelaide, Brussels, Wales, at Kew Gardens…the list is endless. The Gardens By The Bay in Singapore should be amazing when it opens.

Perhaps a happy client and “make a difference in the world” are not the same thing:
http://www.architectureweek.com/2007/1107/environment_1-2.html

Call me old fashioned (go ahead!), but I say start with what the space is to do: function. There are many ways to divide spaces but first the question is “To accomplish what?” That will lead you to suitable answers. Whether the sub-divided spaces ought to be transparent or not rides on the function. Whether interest ought to go vertical or to the…[Read more]

It seems that I have had the benefit of more thoughtful clients than yours.
I have worked all over the country…I wonder if there is something particularly anti-tree in Southern CA?

I can’t speak about homeowners, my experience is with institutions and bigger projects.
I have seen projects re-designed to “save trees” and yet not sufficiently to actually spare the tree. So in the end (a few years) the tree is dead and the design is not what it ought to have been.
My point is not (perhaps you misunderstood me?) that the trees…[Read more]

I might add that changes to the environment of older trees (soil moisture, humidity, reflected heat, etc.) can be devastating.
The argument that “these trees are worth a lot of money” seems irrelevant to me.
To “save them” temporarily only to have killed them a few years hence is pointless and will result in both great expense for the owners later…[Read more]

And here’s a project that is “on the boards” in the US
http://www.hocm.org/page.php?id=149

I think what you are re-imagining is the Adventure Playground movement, that is so much more accepted in Europe than in the USA.

http://adventureplaygrounds.hampshire.edu/history.html

And then there’s this:

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Oh Jon isn’t so old!
And he left Jones and Jones decades ago to be one of the founders of CLRdesign (in Philadelphia). But a few years ago, Jon semi-retired to Australia.
He has an excellent website on which he has posted and referenced a number of articles
http://www.joncoedesign.com/pub/technical.htm

Thank-you…and yes, it does

Thank-you András,
They are using plants hardy around Paris. I will need tender tropical trees, etc (huge Khaya, Shorea, etc.)

Hello

If your interest is less exhibit design and more conservation message success, you might investigate how some of the zoos that have both orangs and in situ conservation programs have done. There is surprisingly little post-opening interpretive evaluation done, but you might get lucky. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo (Washington, D.C.) comes…[Read more]