The zoo school
Description
This thesis intends to investigate the ethics of captivity for zoological purposes and whether or not it is successful in contributing to conservation as it claims to. By studying the effects that current projects have on animals and visitors alike, I hope to fi nd a new way in which zoos can be benefi cial to the environment by infl uencing and educating the public on conservation. Architecture, in the past, has shaped the way that captive animals live out their lives. Animal captivity can be traced back to hunter-gatherer domestication, Egyptian Pharaohs being buried with animals and gladiators violently battling animals to the death to entertain the viewers. Following these ancient practices, life for captive animals continued to be dismal. Countries around the world collected and bartered exotic animals through world fairs and menageries in order to boast their unique cultures to lesser societies. In the future, architecture has the potential to infl uence the welfare of animals as well as bring light to new ways of observing animals and their habitats. Whether the site is chosen within the state of Louisiana, or is non-site specifi c and is instead a network of worldwide zoological centers, this project aims to open a discussion about the ethics of captivity for the sake of animals’ betterment. Programmatically, observation components will work along side rehabilitation typologies to create a more natural and humane zoological model.