CASE STUDY: ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM
Note: Site visit occurred in November 2023.
Called a museum and marketed as ‘more than a museum’, ASDM tackles full interpretation of a single habitat: the Arizona Sonora Desert. Most of the experience is outdoors in the most impressive asset of the facility: its incredible site located adjacent to the Saguaro National Park inside a Pima County park.
Parking lot as a natural landscape
The journey to the Museum is part of the experience, and in my mind, is a big part of what makes the experience so powerful. Unlike other zoos, particularly urban zoos, you are required to take 10 minutes to decompress by driving a two-lane road with twists and drops like a kiddie coaster through the most incredible desert landscape dominated by towering and stoic saguaro cacti as far as the eye can see. If you haven’t been to this neck of the woods and to this desert to see these plants, my god, get yourself here. It’s possibly one of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever experienced. This experience driving to the Museum is part of the experiential journey, putting guests into the mindset of desert dreaming. When you do finally reach the parking area, you arrive to very little fanfare—not much of an entry sign and parking that is beautifully (and environmentally responsibly) designed within pockets of landscape. The two buildings forming the entry of the Museum frame the best part of the entire experience—the view across their gardens and the desert park beyond. Breathtaking is an understatement when it comes to the site.
Lovely designed artistic animal banner saying ‘goodbye’!
Another aspect of the Museum that lends itself to feeling like a nature center is its tone, which is very adult—calming, serene, authoritative. And while I was visiting, most of the guests were adults without children. In fact, I covertly snapped a picture of the restaurant during lunch and not a child was to be found in the crowded indoor seating area. This ambiance was created through earth tone colors, natural materials, modern sleek design elements, and very little playfulness or humor to the graphics. Many were decidedly out of date with a very ‘1980s science center’ vibe, but even ignoring those, the most engaging and eye-catching graphics I saw were the entry banners in the pathways featuring animals serving to welcome guests (and saying goodbye as you left). Interestingly, Tucson is a town of young people and artists. Everywhere in the city were colorful murals and quirky experiences. Our own hotel accommodation was one of many vintage roadside motels that have been renovated and upgraded for modern travelers.
Further enhancing the serious tone of the experience was a lack of play elements and bright colors. While I missed the play area, as it was tucked out near one of the longer nature trails, no other play elements could be found, and even the oversized and colorful sculptures that dotted the gardens had signs prohibiting climbing or touching. Finally, the gift shop(s) supported the adult focus of the museum with a dedicated ‘garden ladies shop’ as well as half of the main shop dedicated to library and high end items like pottery and jewelry.
The content and the site were amazing. There is reason this place is held high amongst the best of the zoos in the world. Habitat design was beautiful, despite some older habitats (which is totally typical of a facility of this age). The cat canyon, reminiscent of St. Louis Zoo’s cat canyon, had viewing from above down into cat pits and then from below at “eye level” but neither provided good views nor good perceptions of the animals themselves. Many exhibits were layered with smaller exhibits in front of larger ones, like at the mountain lion habitat. Most of these were empty when we visited.
The Museum benefited from mature landscapes that have grown wild, natural and authentic. However, many exhibits rely on heavy artificial rockwork that takes away from the true authenticity of the site as a whole. Its hard to “re-create” nature, when you’re surrounded by the most beautiful natural habitats. I’d recommend just embracing architecture and utilizing some of the innovative modern structures seen throughout rather than trying so hard with artificial rock to hide the barriers. This is nitpicking, but that’s my job…
Overall takeaway is that ASDM is the model for interpreting a single habitat—and it never getting old. Most zoos shy away from natives saying they are boring. But this place proves that wrong. I recognize it has probably one of the most impressive sites of any zoo in the world allowing for easy immersive authenticity, but we shouldn’t use that as an excuse. By holistically tackling the interpretation, we see here that a hybrid institution focused on natives can be more than a success. It can be the gold standard.
