Outdoor Interpretation | Conservation Messaging | Adaptive Exhibit Systems
TRACE Design Group, in collaboration with Boston Productions, designed an outdoor interpretive pavilion supporting the relocation of the Philadelphia Zoo’s elephants to a Tennessee sanctuary. The project reframed public engagement from captive display to conservation awareness, addressing species decline, habitat fragmentation, and threats to Bornean elephant populations. The structure employs modular graphic and media systems enabling ongoing content updates. Overhead tensile canopies—derived from the geometry of elephant ears—provide environmental comfort and symbolic reference. The pavilion operates as an adaptable platform for conservation education, public dialogue, and evolving institutional messaging.
