COAR provided design and construction services for the Orange County Zoo Large Mammal Exhibit in partnership with Rudolph and Sletten. This Design-Build project is a unique exhibit designed specifically for the Orange County Zoo, which resides in the Irvine Regional Park in the city of Orange, California. After performing extensive research on natural habitats and utilizing past experiences working on themed settings, COAR designed a space that felt natural for the animals, visitors and staff.

A key feature of the exhibit is a specialty “cat walk” bridge system which allows the animals to roam between spaces. The bridge not only allows the animals to cross into adjacent habitats, it also provides the zookeepers with flexibility in adjusting habitat spaces according to the needs of the animals housed at a given time. In addition to its functionality, the “cat walk” bridge enhances visitor experience by allowing guests to gaze up at the cats that walk above their heads.

As the Orange County Zoo focuses primarily on helping injured, orphaned and confiscated animals in Southern California communities, the design team prioritized utilizing natural looking rock, water features, and plants to ensure the animals feel at home in the space and to blend into the existing zoo theming. Finally, the design kept in mind the conservation of large oak trees near the space, which are iconic to the surrounding park.