BUG ZOO

I was approached by the head of the entomology department at Ohio State University with the task of designing a bug zoo addition to the existing entomology building. The building was relegated to a small, out of the way portion of the OSU campus and she hoped to draw people to the area by adding a space where schools and the public could come to the department to learn about bugs. She hoped to use an existing space in the building currently used as storage. I designed a proposal that would extend the current space to create a well lit, open area with spaces to display bugs and promote learning.

The proposal started with the site plan, extending parking, landscaping, and adding a separate entrance directly into the zoo. This kept the lab and office spaces separate to the public and create a clear and welcoming entrance to the space. The interior features planters to grow plants for the bugs, teaching spaces, display cases for the bugs, and a feature window to display bees making their hives. She also wanted a display window into the labs to show how the people in the building worked.