Taronga Zoo Retreat

We feel fortunate as designers to win so many unique projects and right up there is a hotel within a zoo! Creating a unique boutique 62-room retreat nestled among the trees within the Taronga Zoo grounds in Sydney was both interesting and educational. Understanding how the zoo and the conservation programs operate was an important part of our job. After all, animals were going to feature in our design and the operators insisted that their portrayal wasn’t taken lightly.  We wanted to create accommodation based on the idea of a luxury tree house, which was very much inspired by the site as well as the close proximity to the animals and the connection to Sydney’s harbour, from an elevated viewpoint. The interiors are soft, warm, highly detailed and flexible.  Both guest rooms and public areas feature sculptures and artworks characterising elements of the zoo as well as indigenous art.