References

Knies Kinderzoo: wood structure in elephant park

Rapperswil, CH

A view of the restaurant and surrounding enclosure.

New fairytale elephant enclosure and restaurant in timber for children’s zoo

The Himmapan, a fairy tale forest from Thai mythology, inspired Franco Knie to create the new elephant park at his eponymous children’s zoo in Rapperswil. A spectacular elevated path gives guests the chance to experience the elephants up close. A Thai restaurant on a rocky landscape is another new addition. The general planner was Ghisleni Planen Bauen GmbH. We had the honour of planning and realising the restaurant and lounge area as the starting point for the tours of discovery, along with the elevated path, stairs, flooring and railings.

One interesting detail of the elephant path is that the curves are constructed as clothoids, i.e. curves with a special spiral shape commonly seen in road and railway construction. For the elevated path, we produced sections as a trough bridge with spans as long as 14 metres. Much of the work was individually produced in detail on site.

Portrait Richard Jussel Project development Blumer Lehmann

Richard Jussel

Project Development | Sales – Industrial Buildings | Timber and Modular Construction | Switzerland

+41 71 388 58 61
richard.jussel@blumer-lehmann.com
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Project details

Client:
Gebrüder Knie, Schweizer National-Circus AG
Architecture:
Müller & Truniger dipl. Architekten ETH SIA
Project type:
Leisure and sport, Hotels and restaurants, Art and culture
Construction type:
Wood element construction
Services:
Timber construction
Construction:
2014
Locality:
Rapperswil
Country:
Switzerland

Links

The high bridges lead visitors past the elephants.

Bridge at the Children’s Zoo in Rapperswil

The Thai restaurant whets the appetite from outside.

New Himmapan Lodge