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Bristol Zoo Project

The project was The African Forest, the first major habitat delivered as part of the conservation-focused Bristol Zoo Project, to create an immersive environment centred around Western lowland gorillas and slender-snouted crocodiles.

Set within a steep escarpment and Scheduled Ancient Woodland, the scheme, designed by Momentum, features an exemplar SuDS strategy using open water features, swales, porous paving, reused woodland ditches, attenuation basins, and rainwater harvesting to manage runoff across multiple catchments, with discharge controlled to greenfield Qbar rates.

Existing woodland drainage routes were retained wherever possible, while horizontal directional drilling minimised disturbance to sensitive habitats. Delivered within a live zoo environment, the infrastructure was designed for long-term resilience and future expansion as the first phase of a wider masterplan.

susdrain SuDS Awards 2026 . Shortlisted

Client . Bristol Zoo Project

Architect . Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios