Asiatic Lion Habitat
Warsaw ZOO, Poland
Outdoor Habitat: 2.400m2
Building Facility: 1.140m2
The Design Response
The outdoor habitat offers varied topography, multiple platforms, and wooden constructions that encourage physical activity and give animals elevated vantage points. Two water bodies sit within the landscape. Discreetly positioned caves provide privacy and choice. Feeding enrichments are placed to stimulate prey-catching instincts. Visitors experience the habitat through mesh, glass, and a vegetation buffer, with an indoor viewing point for when lions choose to stay inside.
Two off-show outdoor areas allow separation of individuals, social management, or quarantine when needed. The building houses keeper facilities for daily routines, alongside visitor amenities including toilets and a family room.
The project was delivered in collaboration with a team of architectural professionals.
The Animal Brief
Asiatic lions are social animals with strong territorial instincts and a need for spatial control within the group. The design had to support natural social dynamics — giving individuals the ability to separate, withdraw, or assert agency — while maintaining the conditions for healthy group living.
The Challenge
The project was a new build on the site of a former listed exhibit, requiring close coordination with the heritage conservation department. The historical character and facade of the original structure had to be respected and maintained. The new building was extended with an additional wing into an L-shaped form, integrating modern animal facility standards within a protected architectural context.
The Outcome
A habitat that supports Asiatic lion social complexity through spatial agency. Animals have choice, privacy, and varied terrain. Staff have a functional facility. Visitors have an immersive experience shaped by neuroarchitecture, within a site that respects its historical identity.
