In the past year, the wildlife park was visited by more than 500,000 people, making it a visitor magnet in the city of Pforzheim. The entrance area dates back to the founding period and, in its present state, does not quite match the requirements of the year 2015. “This proposal delivers a friendly and welcoming entrance and visitor centre that perfectly combines the multiple elements of gastronomy, information, learning, the shop and the services”, Lord Mayor Gert Hager.
Mayor Alexander Uhlig thanked Architekten Hermann Kaufmann for the “excellent solution at a prominent location in the city of Pforzheim”. According to the estimate made the project is expected to cost around 2 million euros.
The history of the game park began in 1968 with a single wild boar enclosure. The park has evolved and today it houses over 400 animals from 70 species. The Wildlife Park is characterised by the collection of species from Central and Northern Europe, as well as livestock from all over the world.
The 17-hectare wildlife park is open around the clock and is considered the largest recreational area in the Upper Pforzheim. The current entrance area could not keep up with the rapid development of the past 50 years. A competition was organised to design a new entrance area and the jury awarded the project to Architekten Hermann Kaufmann.
The newly designed entrance area is now one-storey with a basement, “The selected building material is wood and this fits perfectly into its surroundings,” says Stadtbau’s managing director Ulrich Füting. In the two buildings, the areas of information and services, gastronomy, school classes and education, and the shop are all beautifully presented.
Between the two buildings one can stroll along avenues of large trees in the park. The proposed entrance area creates the connection between man and nature. The facilities and its equipment make it possible to realise, illustrate and develop the very successful natural sciences, wildlife and forestry educational concept that is central to the Wildlife Park’s philosophy. Target group for the education services is mainly children.
The wildlife parks values sustainability and energy efficiency very highly, and this was a factor in choosing the winner of the project. With this construction project “it should be made clear that beautiful energy-efficient buildings can be realised regardless of any economic limitations”, says Gert Hager. The building is being built by STADTBAU GmbH and leased to the city. The 2 million-euro building is to be financed by the income from parking fees.