{"id":2526,"date":"2025-03-08T19:06:10","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T19:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asr-arquitecto.es\/?page_id=2526"},"modified":"2025-03-22T21:39:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T21:39:28","slug":"zimbabwe-elephant-nursery","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/asr-arquitecto.es\/en\/zimbabwe-elephant-nursery\/","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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life is wild - elephant nursery in zimbabwe<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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When I was approached to consult and design an <\/span>elephant nursery in Zimbabwe<\/span><\/span>, I knew this project would be unlike any other. The goal was clear: to create a <\/span>protective, sustainable, and adaptable<\/span><\/span> shelter for young elephants, integrating <\/span>tensile fabric<\/span><\/span> and <\/span>local materials<\/span><\/span> to provide a <\/span>lightweight yet durable<\/span><\/span> solution.<\/span><\/div><\/div>
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A Fabric Architecture for Wildlife Care.<\/span><\/span><\/h4><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The nursery had to serve multiple functions\u2014offering <\/b><\/span>shade, ventilation, and protection<\/b><\/span><\/span>, all while maintaining a <\/b><\/span>non-intrusive presence in the landscape<\/b><\/span><\/span>.<\/b> Given my experience with <\/span>tensile structures<\/span><\/span>, I designed a <\/b><\/span>lightweight stretched fabric canopy<\/b><\/span><\/span> supported by minimal anchoring points<\/b>, ensuring a <\/span>large open space for movement and care<\/span><\/span>. The design followed the <\/span>natural curves of the landscape<\/span><\/span>, blending the nursery with its surroundings rather than imposing on it.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The structure was divided into two main areas:<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    A <\/span>night boma<\/span><\/span><\/b>, a secure space where the elephants could rest safely.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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    A <\/span>day boma<\/span><\/span><\/b>, an open yet shaded area allowing interaction and care.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    The key challenge was ensuring that the <\/span>tensile fabric could withstand the dynamic environment<\/span><\/span>, from intense sun exposure to the occasional storm. Working closely with local builders and conservationists, we adapted <\/span>reinforced brick enclosures<\/span><\/span> at the base for durability, while the fabric above created an <\/span>airy, breathable atmosphere<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    A Lesson in Collaborative, Site-Specific Design<\/span><\/span><\/h4><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    This project reinforced the importance of <\/span>understanding the site and working with local expertise<\/b><\/span><\/span>. Collaborating with conservationists, veterinarians, and local craftsmen ensured that the design was not just a conceptual exercise but a <\/span>real, functioning space tailored to its users\u2014both human and elephant<\/b><\/span><\/span>.<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    For me, this project was a bridge between <\/span>wildlife conservation and architectural innovation<\/span><\/span>, proving how <\/b><\/span>tensile structures<\/span><\/span> can be part of a sustainable future in <\/span>wildlife rehabilitation<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    life is wild – elephant nursery in zimbabwe When I was approached to consult and design an elephant nursery in Zimbabwe, I knew this project would be unlike any other. The goal was clear: to create a protective, sustainable, and adaptable shelter for young elephants, integrating tensile fabric and local materials to provide a lightweight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_theme","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2526","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"trp-custom-language-flag":false,"qi_addons_for_elementor_image_size_square":false,"qi_addons_for_elementor_image_size_landscape":false,"qi_addons_for_elementor_image_size_portrait":false,"qi_addons_for_elementor_image_size_huge-square":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"santos.alonso@gmail.com","author_link":"https:\/\/asr-arquitecto.es\/en\/author\/santos-alonsogmail-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"life is wild – elephant nursery in zimbabwe When I was approached to consult and design an elephant nursery in Zimbabwe, I knew this project would be unlike any other. The goal was clear: to create a protective, sustainable, and adaptable shelter for young elephants, integrating tensile fabric and local materials to provide a lightweight…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asr-arquitecto.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asr-arquitecto.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asr-arquitecto.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asr-arquitecto.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asr-arquitecto.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2526"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/asr-arquitecto.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2963,"href":"https:\/\/asr-arquitecto.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2526\/revisions\/2963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asr-arquitecto.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}