Rhino House: ZSL Whipsnade

The Zoological Society of London commissioned BGS to design a new building at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park to accommodate their growing numbers of Asian rhinos. This was to provide three stalls, an indoor heated pool and improved husbandry facilites relative to the existing buildings. A fan shaped plan was developed to reflect spatial requirements, provide good visitor viewing and ensure the building’s entrances were visible from both angles of approach. Keeper refuge corridors were separated from areas accessible to the rhinos by vertical posts spaced to allow keepers to pass between in an emergency.