The Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York is set to undergo a $100 million expansion, and has selected CambridgeSeven as the project architect.
The expansion will add two new structures to the Seneca Park Zoo – a tropics exhibit and a main entry building, both inspired by the adjacent Genesee river valley.
CambridgeSeven has more than 60 years’ experience in the master planning and design of animal habitats and aquaria. The firm was selected in a design competition.
Its plan for the new exhibit and welcome building includes sustainable materials, native plantings, and sensitive scale and siting.
The 22,000-square-foot entry plaza will provide new infrastructure for ticketing offices, as well as classroom and education space, event space, administrative offices, and a retail outlet.
The 48,000-square-foot tropics exhibit will be a multi-level immersive experience with indoor rainforest habitats, outdoor microclimates and aquariums.
Native animal species will be houses in a 150,000-gallon Pacific Reef tank and other tropical habitats.
Both of the new buildings will contribute to the Seneca Park Zoo’s conservation efforts to save animals from extinction and protect wildlife.
CambridgeSeven to design new buildings
“We are deeply honored to be working with Monroe County and the Seneca Park Zoo on this important project to help usher in a new chapter for the beloved Rochester institution,” said Adam Mitchell, principal at CambridgeSeven.
“Our design will not only help to further their mission and conservation efforts but will also help to broaden the zoo’s ability to reach and educate the local community and its visitors.”
Construction on the Seneca Park Zoos’s expansion is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026, with completion expected in early 2028.
In more zoo news, Colorado’s highest court has ruled in favour of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, saying five elephants at the facility do not have the legal right to pursue their release because they are not human.
Images courtesy of CambridgeSeven
