Zoo, Frankfurt New entrance area and bear enclosure

The reconstruction measures for the forecourt have the aim of offering a high-quality,
calm and restrained entrée that is adequate for the zoo society house and at the same time clearly
recognisable in the zoo.

Behind the foyer, the visitor enters an area densely covered with trees. He experiences the
animals alternately "in the forest" or "in a clearing", in any case apparently staying in the same
landscape.

The basic height disposition of the forecourt will be maintained, but adapted to the changed conditions. The two ramps, which in future will provide direct access to the entrances of the Fritz-Rémond-Theater and the
zoo administration and the new terraces in front of the zoo, will lead to a significant
design enhancement, improved orientation and (disabled-friendly) usability
of the overall development of the zoo and the Gesellschafthaus.
The ramps will be accompanied by cut hedge walls that follow the slope of the ramps.
This takes up and continues the hedge motif of the decorative roundel.
The forecourt has a continuous and non-directional paving of small stones, which
continues into the new zoo foyer and accompanies the visitor into the "bear forest".
The close-up area zoo foyer is differentiated by a height gradation into a
plaza leading into the foyer and an area in front of the zoo shop (also zoo exit). A broad step, which
develops from the building figure, accentuates this topographical formation. Bench
and tree support the design.

The materiality and guidance of the paths sustainably support this atmosphere. At the beginning of the outdoor facilities spectacled bears "tears" the small stone paving still leading out of the foyer and changes to a water-bound cover. The enclosure separations are invisible to the visitor via on-site dry ditches (U-profile) or via artificial rocks and supplementary water areas. Through artificial rocks and planting
framed, overstood by large stock trees and supplemented by lying tree trunks and rocks
for sitting, groups of up to 30 people can be gathered here without disturbing the rest of the flow of visitors
.
The outdoor enclosures of the spectacled bears are each differentiated topographically developed, whereby here
attention was paid to the large stock trees. Each outdoor facility now has an on-site bear pond. Through their arrangement, design and elevation, they appear to the visitor as a continuous watercourse, which takes its beginning at the waterfall. In reality, however, they are individual, separate bodies of water. The single-storey part of the animal house will have an intensive green roof (shrubs,
small trees, grasses, etc.). This vegetation acts as a complementary "green backdrop". A stepped wooden deck with railings will be brought up to the wall of the moat at enclosure 3 and will overcome the existing height difference.