Abstract
While thematic design has often been criticized for creating inauthentic environments, adding theming to zoos has actually made them feel more real, both to visitors and animals alike. Thematic design creates zoo environments which better mimic natural habitats in ways both subtle and obvious. Over the last few decades, contemporary zoos have been reshaped by the use of thematic design, a cinematic approach to placemaking, which has happened concurrent with the adoption of habitat immersion to create more naturalistic animal enclosures. The use of theming at zoos has become widely accepted and recognized by industry as essential to superior visitor experiences. Yet less examined are the cinematographic principles which underlie thematic design, and how these principles contribute to uninterrupted and cohesive environments within a zoo.
This research examines the use of thematic design at several zoos in North America and Europe to trace how zoo design is increasingly leveraging cinematographic principles such as point-of-view, storyboarding, staging, sequencing, and transitions. Case studies of these zoos demonstrate that the environments produced using this approach help visitors navigate zoo campuses and have meaningful interactions with animals. While these principles are explored within the context of zoo design, designers may find them applicable to many other areas of design as a means of enriching visitor’s experiences on a site.