SEC TION 03 | COTE BUILDING

ECOLOGY

The project is in the Valley Foothills ecoregion, transitioning between the agricultural Willamette Valley and the heavily forested Cascade and Pacific Coast mountain ranges. The site is on land that is steeply sloped and dominated by Douglas fir. The project responded by restoring the native understory with endemic plants. Native wetland and upland plants were used to construct bioswales and stormwater detention facilities, replicating the ecoregion’s forested wetland ecotype. The center supports the zoo’s mission to inspire respect for animals.

Oregon Zoo Education Center aerial Opsis Architecture