Zootopia: The Glassless and Cageless Zoo

Imagine going to the zoo and not peering through fence slots or windows to see confined wildfire, but instead being immersed in a seemingly untouched and wild habitat. However, this isn't a safari; it's a new kind of zoo dreamed up by people with the Givskud Zoo and a Danish architectural firm.

Right now, Zootopia is just a concept on some paper and a very pretty website. Still, the idea has gained enough steam to warrant attention from people who are excited about this unique idea.

Architect Bjarke Ingels runs the architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and is currently trying to design a revolutionary zoo for the Givskud Zoo and safari park in Denmark.

Ingels recently spoke with National Public Radio (NPR) about the project, telling reporter Arun Rath that his ultimate goal and greatest challenge is to make a zoo that can create a "successful cohabitation between humans and different species of animals."

"Which means you won't have a lonely tiger walking around inside a cage," he said. "You'll have ... all kinds of animals that like to be together in larger groups, so that we can actually create entire habitats."

And all the while people will be immersed - within reason for safety - in those same habitats, zoo-goers sharing experiences with the animals almost as if they were on a safari.

According to BIG's conceptual designs, Ingels plans to do this by eliminating nearly all traces of human influence in what is still a very contained and controlled zoo. The zoo would consist of three regions - America, Asia, and Africa - and these regions would be separated by manmade, but seemingly natural divides. Each region would reflect its own traditional ecology. With even intelligently separated portions of each animal territory to prevent over-predation and total blood baths. It's important to remember that while Zootopia is trying to eliminate the feel of containment of the animals, it's is not a wildlife preserve like Yellowstone National Park.

Zoo-goers would be able to observe the animals in their open habitats through enclosed dome-like structures suspended in the air or traveling on the zoo's man-made water-ways. In this way, you can almost think of a trip through a specific habitat like an amusement-park ride, except that there would be no animatronics to be found in Zootopia. Viewing areas would also be cleverly hidden in the sides of hills and other landmarks to keep awareness of human observation to a minimum.

Ingels and his partner Jacob Lange say that designing and building such a zoo where animals are likely to feel free and unobserved will be challenging, but entirely plausible.

"It's our dream... to create the best possible and freest possible environment for the animals' lives and relationships with each other and visitors," they said in a statement.