The Leipzig Zoo is one of the most modern and innovative zoos in the world. The 'Zoo of the Future' concept combines species-appropriate animal husbandry and unique experiences for zoo guests. Since 2016, with our various learning stations, we have been helping to ensure that a visit to the Zoo is more than just shallow entertainment: Playful, lovingly staged information elements inspire sustainably and sharpen the understanding of species and environmental protection in everyday life.
Experience, Play, Understand
Learning through Edutainment
Edutainment means the combination of education and entertainment that aims to increase motivation to learn and make learning more successful. Educational institutions such as Zoo Leipzig use this approach to sensitise visitors to the protection and conservation of animal species and habitats. Instead of explanatory panels that always look the same, there are now varied, interactive, multi-sensory learning games to convey content for young and old.
"The team at ungestalt knows exactly how to communicate educational content in a playful manner and equip authentic theme worlds."
Johannes Becker, construction manager at Leipzig Zoo
Learning station process
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"Learning with head, heart, and hand" is our guiding principle for good learning stations. Whether it's a single learning station or the education design of an entire world of experience: these project steps always lead us to a successful result.
From Pantanal to Patagonia
Interactive Educational Installations South America
In 2018, the first section of the World of Experience South America opened. The habitats Pantanal, Pampa, and Patagonia are home to their naturally occurring animal species, which we bring closer to visitors with six interactive educational installations. "The path through nature to an abandoned settlement" is the narrative dramaturgy that the overall design of the adventure world follows. We also played a key role in the construction of the scenery and the scenography (full case here).
Natural materials
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The look and feel of the South America map with its 3D topography immediately place visitors in the right setting for the new world of experience. In addition, the characteristic differences in the altitude of the continent are made clear.
Learning station Tierstimmenwand
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At the learning station Tierstimmenwand, animal voices are shown playfully. From Pantanal to Pampa to Patagonia, it's all here!
Tierstimmenwand Patagonia
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The learning station consists of an explanatory board with a photo collage showing animals in their natural habitat, alongside pressable buttons that play the corresponding animal's sound. All materials, including the audio electrics, are weatherproof and highly durable.
Safari quiz
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Even from a distance, the colorful learning stations attract visitors to the maned wolf and anteater, two animal species in the South America Adventure World at Leipzig Zoo.
Anteater learning station
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The learning station explains how the anteater is a food specialist that feeds on insects and that it is not the only creature in the animal kingdom that eats in this way.
Theory
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The game of tongues in the form of a termite mound at the eye height of children...
Practice
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...is an exciting and eye-catching interactive task.
Learning station Maned Wolf
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The learning station conveys information with an explanatory panel, and a child-level mix and match game. To the right is an interactive safari quiz game for the whole family.
Combination play
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All learning stations are made from robust, durable, weather-resistant materials and construction. So thousands of enthusiastic children's hands can tug and tear without breaking anything.
"South America is growing: the Tierra del Fuego theme world will be a new home for Humboldt penguins and seals by 2022."
Online article from the city of Leipzig
Egg parade
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Making reference to the known in order to convey new...
...is what happens when comparing egg sizes at the Nandu learning station.
On the Roof of the World
Interactive Educational Installation Himalaya
In 2017, the Himalayan Rockscape opened, home to snow leopards, red pandas, and northern bald ibis. We conceived, designed, and built four interactive educational installations that integrate into the overall natural design of the themed world. Regional-cultural design elements such as the impression of Tibetan prayer wheels, the construction of the roof shingles, and the use of authentic characters and symbols round off the learning content scenographically.
Cultural Design Elements of the Himalaya
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Buddhist prayer flags as part of the exhibition design of the Himalayan rocky landscape.
The Spirit of the Mountains
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A section of the Snow Leopard Learning Station in the Himalayan Adventure World at Leipzig Zoo explains how the snow leopard has adapted to hunting at a high altitude. We also demonstrate its camouflage ability and running technique through interactive elements.
Interactive Learning
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The self-operated scanimation has a simple, mechanical construction. It shows in a frame-by-frame process, the running technique of a snow leopard.
Landscape Immersion
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The look of weathering Himalayan cedar surrounded by deceptively real-looking artificial rocks...
...allows visitors to become immersed in the world of experience.
Who is lurking there?
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Learning happens in different ways, therefore it's important to offer a variety of informative elements. The snow leopard learning station has not only interactive wall panels, but has a jumping snow leopard on the side of the path as well.
Jump!
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To understand something new, it helps to compare it with something familiar. For example, the long jump game compares...
...the jumping power of the snow leopard with that of the world record holder and your own.
Learning station Red Panda
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Regional and cultural design elements such as the appearance of Tibetan prayer wheels, the construction of the roof shingles, and authentic characters and symbols add the finishing scenographic touch to the learning content.
Discovery Flaps
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Touchable replicas of bamboo and feces inform the guests about the red panda's diet and digestion. Hidden behind discovery flaps, they are an interactive element of the Red Panda learning station!
Before
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The shell of the Tibetan prayer wheels is still unspectacular.
After
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Special finishing gives the wood the right look.
Vulture and bald ibis
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Due to construction constraints, the Vulture and Bald ibis learning station is free standing. It consists of an illustrated explanatory board, a rotating slide viewer device, and a beak game.
Climb, turn, look
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Exciting visual material hides behind the rotating slide viewer.
Match!
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In the beak game, you assign different beaks to their bird genera.
Beak Question
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The beak game again compares the familiar (domestic chicken) with the new (vulture and bald ibis), this time in terms of their beak shapes.
From a Land Down Under
Koala House Interactive Educational Installations
2016 the Koala House opened. We conceived, designed, and built an interactive educational installation that integrates into the existing aboriginal facade design of the new building complex. The interactive, multi-sensory preparation of learning content was achieved, among other things, through a eucalyptus-smelling station, a hot-wire game that shows the everyday dangers koalas face, and several discovery flaps that convey the most important information in the form of a question-and-answer game.
Koala House Learning Station
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We conceptualized, designed, and built a learning station that visually integrates with the existing Aboriginal facade design of the new building complex.
Detailed Design
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After the design planning, we come to the details: millimeter-accurate dimensions and material selection.
Theory
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3D models visualize planned learning games, like the hot-wire game in the koala house here.
Practice
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The finished game works perfectly, is durable and weatherproof.
Using all the senses
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Preparation of interactive, multi-sensory learning content includes a eucalyptus-smelling station, the hot-wire game that stages the daily dangers of koalas, and discovery flaps that convey information as a question-and-answer game.
