Custom Exhibits & habitats

When approaching the design of each custom habitat, we balance the needs of the visitors with the needs of the animals to create dynamic, realistic exhibits that support conservation and inspire lifelong love for animals. Leverage our 30+ years of experience in the zoo and aquarium industry and get help you with design, art direction, custom fabrication and value engineering.
See Also:
Artificial Trees
​Artificial Rock
Water Experiences

Sneak peak: Rainforest experience (upcoming)

Mick Hilleary and team are helping bring this ambitious project to life through collaborative design strategies including the creation of a large, scaled physical model of the entire rainforest. The model was created in meticulous detail, with true-to-life material representations that illustrate the intended visitor and animal experiences. Project stakeholders, including contractors, zoo staff members and other designers are able to interact with the model as it is being constructed, making necessary edits to the design in the process. Once the model is complete, zoo staff will use it to communicate their vision for the space to potential donors and later, use it as a guiding light during the exhibit's construction. 

SLOTH & MONKEY, KANSAS CITY ZOO (KANSAS CITY, MO)

REVOLUTIONARY RIDGE, GREENSBORO SCIENCE CENTER (GREENSBORO, NC)

This 2020 - 2021 zoo expansion project features multiple exhibits including Pygmy Hippo, Fishing Cat, Red Panda, Black-Footed Cat, Serval, Flamingo and Sand Cat. “I think they are going to be in awe. This zoological expansion is as good as any zoological expansion in the world, in the nation" said Glenn Dobrogosz (Executive Director of the Greensboro Science Center) of our exhibit work.

Pygmy Hippo Habitat

Red Panda Habitat

Cassowary & Okapi Habitats​

Serval Habitat

Cat Habitats

Flamingo Habitat

MARYLAND ZOO (BALTIMORE, MD)

Picture
We worked closely with the Maryland Zoo to design, build and renovate animal exhibits and visitor experiences throughout the zoo including Otter, Marsh Aviary, Leopard and more (see exhibits highlighted in yellow on the map).
Otter Rockwork
Leopard
Reptile
Giant Tree
Giant Spider
Penguin Exhibit Renovation

TREE KANGAROO, KANSAS CITY ZOO (KANSAS CITY, MO)

Created for two Matschie's tree kangaroos, Gru and Nokopo, this all-season habitat includes four artificial trees set in front of a natural forest backdrop, giving visitors the sense they are up among the trees! The massive 16-20ft sculpted concrete trees, intwined with natural deadfall, give these tree-dwellers plenty of climbing opportunities in both their exterior and interior exhibit spaces.

ROWAN NATURE CENTER (SALISBURY, NC)

BEFORE

AFTER
Above are before and after photos of our redesign of the Rowan Nature Center in Salisbury, NC. We transformed the exhibit into a North Carolina Wildlife immersion experience that takes visitors on a journey through a riverbed where they encounter the state's wildlife in their natural habitat. See below for more pictures of this project and others. 

REPTILE ENCLOSURES, MICKE GROVE ZOO (LODI, CA)

We created these museum-quality small reptile enclosures for geckos at the Micke Grove Zoo. Each enclosure, which included integrated lighting and a hidden keeper access door, was hand sculpted and painted to look completely natural!
Above: Close-up view of one of the gecko enclosures
Allan and a chameleon pose for a pic in front of the newly completed gecko enclosure

BUGARIUM, ABQ BIOPARK (ALBUQUERQUE, NM)

In the brand new Bugarium building at the ABQ Biopark in Albuquerque, we created several distinct exhibits within one large, open space: Desert, Tropics/Living Wall, Ant Island, Waterbug, Nocturnal Forest/Riverbank. Each area is specially made to accommodate its animal residents and to immerse visitors in the specimens' natural habitats. The Nocturnal rooms, for example, house creatures like giant centipedes, scorpions, tarantulas, and millipedes that are most active during the night hours, so their areas are kept dim during the day and bright overnight, to simulate daylight. To create the immersive experience for visitors, the Nocturnal rooms are themed like a rainforest at night, complete with backlit displays, real and artificial trees, a leafy canopy above, and forest sounds echoing around the visitor as he/she moves through the space.

Tropics/Living Wall (W/ Waterfall & Pond):

Exterior: Entrance & Pond
Nocturnal Forest

Nocturnal Riverbank

Ant Island & Vine
Desert Display
Waterbug Way

FIRST ZOO EXPANSION GREENSBORO SCIENCE CENTER (GREENSBORO, NC)

Mick Hilleary's team designed and built all of the outdoor animal exhibits for the Greensboro Science Center, including maned wolf, tiger, howler monkey, gibbon, meerkat, ring-tailed lemur, and alligator. 

The exhibits feature ample built-in enrichment opportunities for the animal occupants. One such example is the marshy water feature built into the maned wolf exhibit. Also in the maned wolf exhibit, we were able to use various green building techniques, including solar heating/cooling and a planted roof that harvests rain water. In fact, the maned wolves' holding building (pictured below) was constructed using highly-insulating, recycled styrofoam and concrete blocks!

MARSH AVIARY (MARYLAND ZOO, BALTIMORE, MD)

The Marsh Aviary exhibit at the Maryland Zoo is home to ten species of native birds and features an elevated walkway over a themed concrete stream, an interactive Lilypad Bridge (a local favorite) and two kid-sized nests. Read more about this exhibit here: www.MarylandZoo.org

BEAR EXHIBIT, ROWAN NATURE CENTER (SALISBURY, NC) 

In keeping with the history of the area, this North Carolina bear exhibit is themed to look like an abandoned rock quarry. Visitors view the bears from many vantage points including from inside a cave, and from within a rickety shack, straight through an owl exhibit. Situated around the exhibit are reminders of its past as a quarry: a rusted crane, "cut" rock rubble, rickety shacks, and other abandoned pieces of equipment. 

PRIDE OF THE PLAINS EXHIBIT, SEDGWICK COUNTY ZOO (WICHITA, KS)

Developed in partnership with WDM Architects, this exhibit, which has been called "the best lion exhibit in the world", was designed to give visitors a sense of discovery as they navigate the space. Views of the animals are half-hidden, just beyond the next bend in the path, to simulate the more profound experience of happening upon an animal in the wild. This is what I call the Engineered View, where visitors get extreme encounters with the animals every time, using purposeful positioning of the viewing areas, as well as heated and cooled rocks. Employing these techniques, we can position the animals for a quality encounter even when they're napping! This project was awarded a 2001 ASLA Merit Award by the Prairie Gateway Chapter and a 2005 AIA Design Award by the Wichita, Kansas Chapter. 

FUN STUFF ALONG THE WAY