WDM Architects lead the way in designing Zoo Midland

WDM Architects, a firm with close to three decades of experience in zoo design, was selected over two years ago to design Zoo Midland. The Wichita-based company has completed projects at more than 55 zoos across the country. They focus on creating environments to meet the needs of animals, visitors, and zoo staff alike. The Zoo Midland project will be the first time that WDM Architects’ will design a zoo from the ground up.

In a recent interview with the Midland Times, members of the WDM team—Project Architect Tom Nelson, Principal and Project Manager Drew Jordan, and Zoological Designer Jenna Sedovic—shared insights into WDM’s design approach and the progress of the Zoo Midland project.

“It’s about what the client wants,” said Jordan. “In the zoo world, our clients range from the people who will be visitors and the animals who will be residing there."

Jordan compared the design process to a three-legged stool, “with the three legs being the client’s needs, the animal’s needs, and the guest’s needs.” According to Jordan, “If one of those legs is lacking, you’ve got an unbalanced stool. We want to make sure that all three of those needs are met to move towards a successful project.”

According to Nelson, WDM’s design philosophy is to create spaces that allow animals to display natural behaviors, which enhances the visitor experience. For Zoo Midland, this will include features such as the Tree Tops realm, an elevated area designed to replicate the natural habitats of forest-dwelling animals. The designs support the animals' natural behaviors and also provide visitors with a more authentic and immersive viewing experience.

“Another thing that is interesting with our design is that even though we are starting from scratch, we have expansion areas built into each of our sectors so that in the coming years, we will be adding new features and new animals into each of the different realms of the zoo,” said Sedovic.

Zoo Midland’s design and development encompass nine phases, with seven expected to be completed by the zoo’s opening day. The remaining two phases are planned for future development. 

“Building a zoo from scratch is an immensely complicated project,” Jordan said.

According to Nelson, the process “follows a logical process of getting the infrastructure in place first." That is followed by “the back-of-house things that are required for running a zoo,” he said, including “the aspects that are needed to be in place before animals are brought in."

Sedovic highlighted an educational feature guests can anticipate. “A big part of the educational experience is going to be our ambassador animal area,” he said. The area will include a display stage school groups can use.

The groundbreaking for Zoo Midland is projected to take place in the fall of 2024.