Located at the Welsh Mountain Zoo in
Colwyn Bay, the project includes creation of a new snow leopard enclosure. The
aim is to create a representation of the mountainous region in which the
endangered species live and offer visitors a nose to nose visual experience
though glass. The project has spent sent several years in development and
attracted support and endorsements including Michael Sheen, Dame Judi Dench,
John Cleese and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Stiwdio Owens provided landscape
architecture support to the project including soft landscape design, tree mitigation
works, and landscape construction details. The designs were developed within a
3D model and allowed visualisations to be created which helped the design development process.
Wynne Construction are currently undertaking
the construction process and is expected to be completed in spring 2020 when
the snow leopard enclosure will be officially open and accessible to visitors.