Marghazar Zoo, Islamabad: a New National Zoo for Pakistan

These days, very few zoos are initiated from scratch. Most interventions are either additions to or adaptations of existing facilities. In 2008, Rodney Brown of V&L Landscape Architects had the rare privilege of working on the Master Plan for a brand new zoo from the ground up…

The design intention for the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad was to produce a world class education, research and conservation facility, concentrating on the indigenous fauna of the subcontinent, including a number of rare and endangered species. The zoo was to be all-inclusive in terms of support structures and infrastructure.

The planning approach was to organise the exhibit species according to the four primary geophysical categories which occur in Pakistan. These include highland mountains, deserts, grasslands and the wetland / riverine areas associated with the Indus River.

A fifth category was also added, exhibiting the more charismatic species from areas outside of the sub-continent.

The exhibit species were thus first grouped according to the above categories, and then in terms of diurnal / nocturnal habits. Each of the exhibit areas therefore included an indoor nocturnal building where photo-inverse techniques were applied for viewing purposes.

Other structures included aviaries, reptile enclosures, catering and conferencing, and support structures.

Three levels of activity were planned for, namely the visitor experience, the servicing / operational activities, and the exhibits. Each of these held equal devotion to planning and design: comfort, safety and efficiency.

Closer inspection of the master plan reveals how a full service area, including administration buildings, workshops, kitchens, overnight accommodation, hospital and holding enclosures, formed the operational core of the facility.

Each of the exhibit enclosures was designed to allow free-roaming, and included night / management houses tailored to the requirements of the respective animals. These were planned to be directly accessed from the service roads, and the enclosures equipped for temporary subdivision to assist management.

In the enclosures, the landscape was designed to imitate the typical environment being represented, with extensive use of rock / stonework and open soil with indigenous plants. Water holes, rather than drinking troughs, were designed.

The buildings utilized traditional sub-continent building materials within a contemporary context, thereby increasing visual integration. No attempts were specifically made at disguising / hiding buildings, although they are often partially sunk due to the topography.

A 1,7km visitor route was planned to traverse the entire zoo, ensuring that all exhibits are accessible without retracing one’s steps. In all external cases, the visitor route was separated from the animals by level differences, moats, hotwires, etc.

Great care was taken to avoid the use of palisades, fences and the like. Of particular interest is that the visitor route was planned to never cross service roads at grade, and to give access to a number of picnic, prayer, convenience and rest areas.

Integrated into the above, were pockets of high-design landscaped plazas, gardens and visual buffers.

The new 54ha Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad is currently under construction and the development programme is expected to extend over the next several years.

Although V&L are not involved with the implementation phase of this project, it remains a highlight of 2008, for V&L, and certainly for Rodney.