Giant panda being native to only one region in western China is a national treasure and an umbrella species possessing great ecological value for the whole world. Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base is one of the earliest institutions to save wild pandas, which has been a paradise for Panda Breeding and protection for almost 40 years. Since Chengdu, one of the fastest growing cities in the world, has been facing a huge conflict between wildlife protection and urban development, Panda Base expansion project needs a sustainable framework that generates win-win for ecology and development.
Based on the seamless cooperation with renowned zoological specialists, data analysis and application of design paradigm, we developed the “animal friendly, human friendly” concept to upgrade the existing panda paradise in the urban environment which protects giant pandas and restores its habitat. Panda Base will not only become the zoo with the largest number of pandas in the world, but also become a representative project which explores the possibilities for people to live in harmony with nature in the future.
In order to create a more natural environment for giant pandas and their associated animals, our team discussed with the experts of CAS about the requirements of the giant panda habitat in aspects such as environment, terrain, sunshine etc. After exploring various possibilities in spatial layout, the design finalized the animal-friendly model in giant panda base expansion. The panda base program completed in 2021 as a start-up project in Beihu District with the construction of 92,000 square meters, an investment of 1.28 billion RMB. It is expected to bring 8 million visitors to Chengdu per year.