May 17, 2017

Oregon Zoo opens Insect Zoo in new center

Photo by Shane Kucera/Fortis Construction [enlarge]

The education center is pursuing LEED platinum and LBC Net-Zero Energy certification.

Photo from Jones & Jones Architects [enlarge]

The 20,000-square-foot center is a hub of environmental learning and activity.

The Oregon Zoo has opened its new Education Center.

It was designed by Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects of Seattle, and Opsis Architecture of Portland. Jones & Jones did the insect zoo design and landscape. The firms worked in with Metro Portland and the Oregon Zoo.

Fortis Construction was the contractor, and Work As Play was the insect zoo consultant. IQ Magic did the interpretive design and IQ Magic/Formations designed the exhibits.

Construction cost $18.7 million.

Jones & Jones said the 20,000-square-foot center is a hub for learning and activity that is intended to inspire “the inner conservationist” in people who visit the zoo. The theme is “Small Things Matter.”

The building forms an arc around a circular plaza, with a learning landscape that is woven throughout. Two curved roofs are designed to welcome visitors to the plaza.

The plaza and main public space — known as the Nature Exploration Station (NESt) — lead to the Insect Zoo and turtle conservation areas. The NESt's open wood form was inspired by the nests of small animals.

The Insect Zoo displays insects in three biomes: tropical forests, temperate forests and deserts. Urban insects and other invertebrate species are presented, and back-of-house elements are visible. There's also a work area for teen volunteers to help show off the insects, and an auditorium called Conservation Hall.

The Education Center includes indoor and outdoor classrooms with education gardens and a cafe. The NESt, cafe and classrooms open to the outdoors.

The Backyard Habitat focuses on the role insects play in people's lives through pollination, composting, the food chain and beauty. From hands-on compost bins to a Bee-Friendly Bee Hostel, visitors can learn about insects, see meadow flowers and search for the crawlies in a leaf-shaped digging pit.

The Nature Bird Forest has adventure trails and activity tables, stepping logs and wood rounds, a living hut, a log tower with an osprey nest, and birdhouses.

A trail leads to a camp site with a view of Mount Washington's forests, as well as a fire pit and tents for summer camps.

The education center is pursuing LEED platinum and LBC Net-Zero Energy certification. It is designed for net-zero annual energy use, with passive ventilation cooling, 760 solar panels, Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, fritted glass to help prevent bird strikes, a wildlife garden shelter and native bee hotel, rainwater collection for flushing toilets, and salvaged materials in the gardens.