CHACMA BABOON EXHIBIT
MEERKAT TUNNEL
Far Away or Up Close
Immersion at its finest, the Meerkat Tunnel offers visitors an experience to get face to face and in the dirt with the fun loving creature. Known for their tunneling and active lifestyle, the tunnel gives visitors multiple ways to view and interact with one of Africa’s most loved animals.
Creating a multitude of experiences, the design of the baboon exhibit, gives the viewer an option of viewing the large exhibit from afar or venturing down to get a face to face experience.
UP CLOSE EXPERIENCE
Ryan McKay | LA 403 | Beverly Bass | Winter 2016
A
Section: Viewer Looking towards Baboon Scale: 1” = 5’
KEY MAP
A
Observer Animal Habitat
B
B
Section: Viewer Pop-Up Experience
2.5
Observer Animal Habitat
2.5
PLAN
Tunnel Exit 405
Information Wall
402
Seat Wall Shade Sails
Restroom
PLAN
Paying tribute to the act of colonization and spread of European ideals, this rest station (equipped with a restroom) shows the structure and bonds that were place on Africa centuries ago. Pulling inspiration from the bands of the East India Trading Company flag, this rectilinear space shows the transformation of the land and people that Europeans had on the traditional African landscape. Formal and missed placed within the land, its spatial organization and static quality only elevates this transitional period within South Africa’s history.
History Divided
Having traveled through the history of South Africa’s physical and political landscape, the period of division known as the Apartheid can’t be forgotten. The separation of native and nonnative people came has forever marked South Africa’s history. Highlighting this division in time and space, the Rhebok exhibit interweaves culture and animal to present South Africa’s traditional heritage.
402.5
Rhebok Holding Facilities
The Wall
Dividing the space into two individual spaces, we are left with a line of separation. Represented by a series of walls, allowing those coming from the south to see through it, while those venturing from the east and Colonial Rest Station to see its head on, visitors get to experience the walls that separated the African people during the Apartheid.
402
Rhebok Exhibit
403
Rhebok Viewing Pathway
405
Nature Hike through Botanical Collection
399.5
N 5
10
5
TRADITIONAL AFRICAN CULTURE + RHEBOK EXHIBIT First Stop Africa
Rhebok (Excluded) Exhibit
Cape Succulent Planting
20
Rhebok History Traditional African Culture Panels
REST AND RELAX
10
Scale: 1” = 5’
N
COLONIAL REST STATION
5
399
Apartheid Divider Walls 390
398.5
Rhebok Information Wall
Architectural Shade Structure
395
N 10
20
40
While not an impressive animal from the South African landscape, it’s story of survival is one similar to that of its people. Once a thriving and over populated breed of deer, their numbers needed to be controlled. Maintaining their populations, locals went too far as to remove almost all rhebok in existence. But thankfully their inability to jump left only seven rhebok alive on a man’s private fenced in property. From this population the species on exhibit owe their heritage to this group.
10