We design lighting for all kinds of uses: dining, lodging, retail, office work, and travel—just to name a few. Effective lighting design requires an understanding of not just the technical aspect of fixtures and energy, but also a keen insight into who uses the space: what will they be doing, and what do they need (in terms of lighting). From time to time, a project gives us the opportunity to design for a group of users a bit more exotic than humans. Sometimes, we get to design for people…and also for lions. In this month’s blog we look at our work on a newly restored Chicago lion house, as well as some general considerations when designing lighting for zoos.
Designed in 1912, the Kovler Lion House** has been a centerpiece of Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. The building was granted landmark status in 2005 for its soaring vaulted ceilings and intricate mosaics. In 2019 the lion house closed for an extensive renovation led by Goettsch Partners, with a primary focus on building a more expansive outdoor habitat for the lions and improved viewing areas for visitors. Indoor and outdoor visitor areas were designed with thick windows that allow the cats to roam right up to the edge of the exhibit space. Heated rocks were also installed to lure the lions closer to viewing areas and give visitors a chance to see them up close.
With the lions relocated for the restoration, we got to work designing lighting for public spaces in the hall, as well as the outdoor enclosure. While the outdoor habitat is primarily open just in the daytime, with abundant natural light, we designed special lighting on the pride rocks and other key exhibit areas for evening events, when the cats get to stay out late. Our overall goal was to create a more energy efficient and maintenance friendly lighting scheme that works within the landmark requirements. Design Lead Erin Held noted that one of the best parts of this project was working on such a beloved community landmark that has been enjoyed for over a century (plus it was just fun to work at the zoo!).
As with most restoration projects, the main challenges we faced lay in working around the constraints of the original construction. We needed to work within the existing conditions of the building and be thoughtful of the historic details and intent for the space. In this case we had to work around a lack of ceiling depth in choosing fixture types and placement, as well as the extensive glazed tile, which we could not cut into. We replaced existing fluorescent light sources with LEDs, in order to improve energy efficiency and reduce maintenance needs.
Our design needed to account for the needs of the zookeepers, the visitors, and of course, the animals themselves. When designing for a zoo, accommodating these different groups means keeping several considerations in mind. Let’s take a look at four of them:
Make the animals feel at home
Not just a courtesy, maintaining an environment that closely resembles the animals’ natural habitat is critical to keeping them happy and in good health. Zookeepers want their animals healthy, and visitors do not want to see animals suffering. Lighting is a key component in creating a healthy environment for animals, particularly—but not limited to—indoor exhibits. Artificial light is often required to approximate the animals’ original habitats, and it needs to feel as natural as possible.
From our work on the lion exhibit, we learned that just like humans and other mammals, lions react badly to cool (blue) light. As a result, in lighting an outdoor canopy viewing area, we installed downlights with custom-made red/white tuneable fixtures that help the lions sleep better. Lighting can also help animals feel safe in their habitat. Certain species may not feel safe venturing out of protective shelter under bright lights, but with the right lighting conditions, an exhibit can create an illusion of the cover of night, coaxing animals out for visitors to observe.
Keep it cool
In any lighting design, heat output is an important consideration, perhaps even more critically when it comes to lighting animal habitats. In some cases, if a light fixture gives off too much heat, the space can cause harm to the animals. Some species require heat to survive comfortably, however, for the sake of energy efficiency, lighting should not serve as the source of that heat. Relying on light sources that give off more heat than light will drive costs up and waste energy. Keeping heat sources separate from lighting also allows for more precise temperature control in order to maintain a safe, healthy habitat.
Make sure controls are easy to manage
From animal welfare to safety to a smooth visitor experience, zoos have a lot to manage, often on tight budgets. Many institutions rely on volunteers along with staff, particularly when it comes to special events. Control systems need to be intuitive and clear so that they can be operated without training, while still meeting the intricate needs of a zoo, particularly when it comes to timing that matches up with the animals’ circadian rhythms.
Watch out for glare
Creating an exciting viewing experience for visitors requires careful attention to safety. When it comes to getting up close and personal, that usually means thick glass, which from a lighting perspective, means a chance of glare. Most of us who have ever tried flash photography in front of one of those windows to capture a great shot of a majestic animal probably wound up disappointed with ghostly reflections showing up in that final shot. It’s not just a camera flash that can create that glare, however. Particularly when the viewing area is indoors or covered, lighting needs to be designed in a way that avoids glare for visitors and helps them get a clear view of the animals. In the newly renovated lion house, viewing areas looking out over the outdoor lion habitat were expanded. In order to keep glare down in the lion house, we kept that indoor lighting minimal, with step lights down low, and then focused exhibit lighting to highlight graphics and information.
As with any project, understanding the varying needs of end users is key to creating a design that creates a good experience for everyone: two-legged and four (or more)-legged alike.
**Upon reopening this fall, the lion house will be known as the Pepper Family Wildlife Center.
At CharterSills, we believe that when lighting is designed correctly, it can add dimension to the simplest of spaces. Lighting can turn an ordinary space into a work of art. Whatever design challenges clients present, CharterSills responds with a solution that exceeds their expectations. Contact us today at (312) 759-5909 or by email at info@chartersills.com.