Pheasantry at Himalayan Zoological Park

Project Location: Bulbuley, Sikkim

Project Architect: Lhendup W. Bhutia

Status: Completed

Public Spaces / Birds Aviary

Our homes are our safe haven, our world of comfort. Just like the human spaces of comfort and familiarity, other creatures also seek a territory to thrive in. Converting this thought and sensitivity to become a foundation for our design, we created a space for the relocation and rehabilitation of four exotic birds species at the existing aviary at the Himalayan Zoological Park.

The previous aviary given for renovation was in a dilapidated condition. The project commissioned by the Forest and Wildlife Department, Government of Sikkim, located in Bulbulay, East Sikkim needed to be formulated based on the Central Zoo Authority Guidelines for birds.

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To give the birds a home and a harmonious environment that would allow them more than mere existence, we designed four spacious enclosures for the four exotic species: Lady Amherst, Golden Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant and Silver Pheasant. Each enclosure, shaped in hexagons, has been designed to allow the birds maximum movement and give the birds an environment closest to nature. The four structures have been made out of iron sections to provide the birds safety from one another and other predators.

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Replicating life in the open, many little elements have come together to create a balanced whole. There is a dust bath, a water body and also night shelters inside the enclosures. A keeper’s shed has also been made for the everyday up-keep of the space.

Housed in a space that respects the solitary nature of the exotic birds, a glass separates the species from the visitors’ façade. The design ensures that, in spite of it being an artificial ecosystem, there is an organic experience within. Half of the top is left open and covered with polycarbonate sheet for natural ventilation and below, on the covered half, the perch and birdhouses have been placed. The floors have been casted and then layered with soil for proper drainage, also ensuring safety from rodents. The walls of the enclosures slant at 5 degrees defining more volume for the birds to fly around freely.

Taking the nature of birds, the aviary is an example of how design and compassion go hand-in-hand. For we believe that, in design there must lie the most essential things: like life, freedom and dignity for everyone.