Contemporary zoo design and the historical treasure of garden art: Tiergarten Schönbrunn

Abstract

Abstract Contemporary zoos are facing a complex set of conditions: they conduct scientific studies aimed at the conservation of species and their habitats on the one hand, and pursue the involvement of the audience in the protection and care of nature on the other. Looking around the world of zoos, only a few have been able to evolve into complex conservation centres. The development process takes decades, and the challenge is comparable to the transition of menageries into zoological gardens in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This article conveys how landscape architecture can contribute to this metamorphosis by increasing the wellbeing of confined animals and discovering strategies to foster the transformation of even the oldest zoo into a modern scientific institution. While the survey concentrates on the spatial development of Tiergarten Schönbrunn and the environmental quality of animal enclosures (thus on animal welfare), the discussion explores the correlation between the changing operation strategies and the visitors’ experience in the light of landscape architecture.