Title: The Kazan Zoo “Zambezi River”
Author: Muginov Marat
Shot in: Kazan, Russia
Kazan zoo is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in Europe. Karl Fuchs founded it at Kazan University as a botanical garden in 1806, and in 1829 the coastal areas on the shore of Lake Kaban were purchased.
For more than 200 years, the zoo has been a favorite destination for city residents of all ages. The new Kazan zoo "Zambezi River", which construction began in 2015, and opened in 2019 as the first African zoo in Russia.
Promoted by the declaration of the Kazan Kremlin as a world heritage site, and the imminence of Kazan's anniversary, the Kazan government has initiated some significant improvements to the city centre. This project addresses the master planning of three adjacent city sites totaling 21 ha, to incorporate the Kazan Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
The existing zoo is relocated to a greenfield site across a lake away from the city, linking back to the city by means of a signature bridge, which symbolically represents the body of the 'Strikaza' (dragon fly) which has inspired the extended masterplan. The tubular bridge encompasses a winter garden, at the retail end, housing a historically significant collection of sub-tropical plants, while at the zoo end the bridge terminates in a spectacular tropical house.
The zoo component has been developed in conjunction with the Zoological Society of London. Due to the harsh winter conditions in Kazan, the zoo layout clusters 'warm' species around the central tropical house to give visitors a mini zoo experience in winter without the need to venture outdoors.
The retail mall acts as the entrance to the zoo on the ground floor and contains 80,000 square meters of shopping space including a food hall on the third floor. It is expected that the retail component will help ensure that the overall development will be self-funding.