Marwell Zoo

Marwell Zoo is a 140-acre zoological park, located near Winchester in Hampshire. Owned and run by registered charity Marwell Wildlife, the zoo is home to over 135 species of animals. It boasts five children’s playgrounds, several food kiosks, a picnic lodge and various picnic areas on Marwell Hall lawn. It welcomes over 500,000 visitors through its doors every year.

The seating inside one of the zoo’s dining areas, ‘Café Graze’, was limited, resulting in overcrowding and a need for further space. Although large parasol umbrellas were being used to protect visitors from harsh weather conditions in the outdoor seating area, the space was still not an appealing place for visitors to reside in wet weather. Marwell Wildlife approached project delivery specialists, Streetspace, to specify an outdoor shelter solution to overcome the challenge.

Streetspace was asked to enhance the existing outdoor dining space with the addition of a canopy. It was important that the canopy shielded visitors from adverse weather conditions, without compromising the panoramic view of the surrounding animal enclosure. Based on this specification, Streetspace installed an ORION Barrel Vault steel frame, tensile membrane canopy structure outside Café Graze.

The tensile canopy cover was specified in Ferrari F502 White 502-8102 architectural PVC fabric. Its waterproof fabric shelters visitors from the rain and eliminates the need for staff to erect and dismantle multiple parasols.

The structure provides a clear span area with an ambient sense of space. Much to their delight, visitors can benefit from unobstructed views of the animal enclosure adjacent to the café whilst enjoying their lunch. The canopy’s PVC side panels are removable, offering Marwell the flexibility to add enhanced weather protection in the winter and expand the space in the warmer, summer months.

Follow the link for further information on fabric canopies OR give our team a call on 01227 200404