A zoo building that treats elephants like the client and visitors like carefully guided witnesses.
Zoo.
Featured in Norman Foster's definitive monograph, Norman Foster: A Life in Architecture.
Visitor Guide
Go straight to the ramped route down into the viewing sequence—Foster designs your sightlines like a slow reveal; don’t skip to the terraces or you miss the whole spatial narrative.
From the broad public terraces at the end of the visitor route, shoot mid-morning (10:30–11:30) when the domes read bright and the elephants aren’t backlit.
Access is via Copenhagen Zoo admission. Typical hours (Feb 2026): 10:00–16:00. Tickets: Adult 249 DKK, Child (3–11) 149 DKK (under 3 free).
The enclosures are dug into the slope to reduce visual bulk and improve passive thermal performance, while glazed domes keep a sky connection—architecture as animal welfare tech.
2–4 hours (zoo); 30–45 minutes focused on Elephant House
Design & Structure
Research-driven planning (elephant social patterns → separated enclosures), section-led environmental thinking (sunken volumes + passive performance), and daylight shaping through glazed domes. It’s ‘parametric’ in spirit: many constraints, one coherent spatial sequence.
Glazed dome elements for daylight and sky connection; robust concrete/stone-like landscape retaining elements that let architecture dissolve into park topography.
Large-span glazed domes and landscape-integrated retaining conditions: the structure has to feel effortless while doing heavy climatic and spatial work.
See Together
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed Copenhagen Zoo?+
Copenhagen Zoo was designed by Norman Foster and completed in 1859. It is located in Frederiksberg Municipality, Denmark.
Where is Copenhagen Zoo located?+
Copenhagen Zoo is located in Frederiksberg Municipality, Denmark. Its coordinates are 55.6728°, 12.5214°.
When was Copenhagen Zoo built?+
Copenhagen Zoo was completed in 1859. It was designed by Norman Foster.
Can I visit Copenhagen Zoo?+
Copenhagen Zoo is a real building in Frederiksberg Municipality that can be viewed from the outside. Check local information for interior access and visiting hours. Use the Parametric Atlas walking tour feature to plan a route that includes this building.