SB Zoo — Australian Walkabout Exhibit

Project: Santa Barbara Zoo - Australian Walkabout Exhibit
Santa Barbara, California
Client: Santa Barbara Zoo
Architect: Blackbird Architects

The project constructed a visitor-immersive Australian Walkabout Exhibit featuring free-roaming kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and two new aviary enclosures within a repurposed exhibit area. Work included new accessible pathways, fenced open-air entry and exit vestibules, and modifications to the existing barn to create indoor and outdoor animal holding and care spaces, including a new tunnel connection through the structure. The layout of the aviaries, grading, and structural steel vestibules required precise coordination to meet accessibility requirements and architectural tolerances, with all materials and finishes reviewed to ensure animal safety, durability, and long-term performance.

Project Highlights
• Construction of an accessible, visitor-immersive walkabout exhibit with free-roaming animals
• Adaptive reuse of existing barn structure for animal holding and care functions
• Custom structural steel vestibules, aviaries, fencing, gates, and shade sail awnings
• Integrated site work including concrete rockwork, sandstone boulders, water features, and reclaimed-water irrigation
• Awarded Ventura County Contractors Association – Site Work: Landscaping / Hardscaping Award (2024)