ThemeWorks brought the Arctic to sunny California in the Polar Bear Plunge, a 4,000-square-foot exhibit space. Work on the interpretive exhibit included preparing a Bell 206 B3 Expedition Helicopter as an outdoor attraction by modifying it for ADA access, structurally reinforcing and weatherproofing it, and adding a new paint scheme. ThemeWorks created three oversized storybooks with fourteen sculpted and reinforced concrete log seats, adding to the interactive experience. Two refrigerators with food were fabricated to simulate how much a polar bear eats in a day. A scale allowed visitors to see how many humans it takes to equal the weight of just one of these massive animals, and an 850-square-foot replica of a Polar Bear snow den allowed guests to explore their homes. Research props including crates, radio collars, laptops, and radio headsets along with two interactive tables focusing on conservation and the melting polar caps gave a window to the importance of studying, understanding, and educating others on this critical part of our world.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Polar Bear Plunge, San Diego Zoo
Designer: Ben Meza, AIA, Mosher Drew Watson Ferguson Architects , San Diego
Client: The San Diego Zoo
Size: 4,000 square feet (372 m²) of exhibit space
Photography: Kevin Walsh
Scope of Work: Our work for this interpretive exhibit included preparing a Bell 206 B3 Expedition Helicopter as an outdoor exhibit by modifying it for ADA access, structurally reinforcing it, weatherproofing it, and applying a new paint scheme.
We created three oversized, interactive illustrated storybooks, fourteen sculpted reinforced concrete log seats, two refrigerators with food simulating how much a polar bear eats in a day, a sculpted totem pole, a scale interactive that allows guests to see how many of them it takes to equal the weight of a single polar bear, an 850 sf Polar Bear Snow Den that guests can explore, a sculpture of a seal, Spin-the-Dial Interactive, research props (crated, radio collars, laptop computer, radio headsets, etc.), two interactive tables with melting polar ice caps, Carbon Scale and Carbon Graph interactive, Conservation Wall exhibit and graphics throughout the exhibit.