Miller Hull Partnership designs San Diego Zoo's new US$68m Africa Rocks expansion
by Tom Anstey | 03 Aug 2015
San Diego Zoo is about to embark on what will be the California attraction’s largest expansion to date, the US$68m (€62m, £43.5m) Africa Rocks exhibit.
Designed by the San Diego-based Miller Hull Partnership, the 8-acre (32,400sq m) exhibit will transform what is currently a canyon area once home to 1930s-era grottos and enclosures, into an easily traversable path leading visitors through an African-themed environment.
To be populated with a wide variety of animals – including dwarf crocodiles, spurred tortoises, baboons, vervet monkeys and lemurs, African leopards and penguins among others – plant life will also play a big part in the new exhibit, with native African plants including acacia, aloe, Madagascar ocotillo and palms being planted to immerse visitors in the experience. One of the exhibition's key focal points will be the Rady Madagascar Habitat and Falls – an immersive environment centred around a 65ft (19.8m) waterfall cascading down several levels of the expansion.
Groundbreaking for the project, which is set to open in 2017, occurred on 29 July on the back of a multi-year fundraising phase, which has so far collected US$61.5m (€56m, £39.3m) from 4,500 people. Notable donors included philanthropist Conrad Prebys, who gave US$11m (€10m, £7m), investment mogul Ernest Rady, who contributed US$10m (€9.1m, £6.4m), and Dan and Vi McKinney, who have donated US$5m (€4.6m, £3.2m) specifically for the creation of a new habitat and breeding centre dedicated to preserving endangered African penguins.
Part of the expansion includes a new habitat and breeding centre dedicated to preserving endangered African penguins
Africa Rocks' dwarf crocodile habitat
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FEATURE: Interview – Rick Schwartz
San Diego Zoo is about to embark on what will be the California attraction’s largest expansion to date, the US$68m (€62m, £43.5m) Africa Rocks exhibit. Designed by the San Diego-based Miller Hull Partnership, the 8-acre (32,400sq m) exhibit will transform what is currently a canyon area once home to 1930s-era grottos and enclosures, into an easily traversable path leading visitors through an African-themed environment. To be populated with a wide
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Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
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Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
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GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
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by Megan Whitby | 22 Mar 2024
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Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
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Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
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by Megan Whitby | 12 Feb 2024
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by Megan Whitby | 09 Feb 2024
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by Megan Whitby | 09 Feb 2024
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by Magali Robathan | 02 Feb 2024
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Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
by Megan Whitby | 02 Feb 2024
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by Magali Robathan | 29 Jan 2024
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SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
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One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
by Megan Whitby | 19 Jan 2024
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Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
by Kath Hudson | 18 Jan 2024
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by Liz Terry | 11 Jan 2024
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Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
by Megan Whitby | 05 Jan 2024
Rural Scottish retreat Murrayshall Country Estate has received the green light for its £30 million (US$38 million, €34.8 million) masterplan. The proposal includes plans for an extension to the 40-key four-star hotel in Scone, Perthshire, as well as the addition of a new spa and leisure facility with treatment rooms, a spa pool, spa cafe, gym and studio, a leisure pool and outdoor spa terrace. Proposed updates also include a
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
by Kath Hudson | 04 Jan 2024
Janu, the new hotel brand from luxury operator Aman, is gearing up to launch its first location this March in Tokyo. The property will feature one of the city's largest gyms. Part of a 4,000sq m state-of-the-art wellness centre, the 340sq m gym will feature five group exercise studios for spinning, aerial yoga, golf simulation, functional training, Pilates and high-impact circuit training, as well as the first boxing ring in
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
by Megan Whitby | 03 Jan 2024
Global wellbeing organisation Therme Group has announced the location of its first Asia Pacific project. The upcoming resort will open in South Korea’s Incheon City as part of its Golden Harbor development. A memorandum of agreement was signed on 20 December by Therme’s senior vice president Stelian Iacob and Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) commissioner Kim Jinyong. The identification of the Golden Harbor site follows an initial letter of cooperation
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
by Kath Hudson | 29 Dec 2023
Universal Studios is assessing the feasibility of opening its first European resort in the UK, following the purchase of a former brickworks in Bedfordshire. The theme park operator has confirmed it’s in the “very early stages of exploring the possibility of a potential park and resort experience in Bedford.” Parent company, Comcast Corporation has purchased the 480-acre site, which previously had planning permission for 1,000 homes. Universal Destinations and Experiences
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by Megan Whitby | 20 Dec 2023
The King of Bhutan has announced plans for a new economic hub immersed in nature and designed by architecture firms Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Arup, and Cistri. Referred to as the Mindfulness City, the masterplan for the future Gelephu Special Administration Region (SAR) is informed by Bhutanese culture and its strong spiritual heritage, as well as the country's Gross National Happiness (GNH)* index. The goal is for the SAR to
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
by Kath Hudson | 19 Dec 2023
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Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
by Kath Hudson | 18 Dec 2023
KSL-owned Third Space has unveiled its latest club in Wimbledon, south-west London. The development marks the first of many forays into residential locations for the operator, following the recent securing of a loan facility of £88.5m. This is the ninth club from the premium fitness operator which has four further openings slated for residential areas of London in the next two years: Battersea, Clapham Junction and Wood Wharf in 2024
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