Working with Salvato & Co. on the enhancement of the historic New Orleans institution, Marcela Sardi developed the concept and design for the Audubon Zoo’s Learning Center, themed around its resident animals. The design was based on the historic precedents of the 1884 World’s Fair exhibition, which gave birth to the Audubon Zoo, and the expressive folk architecture of New Orleans. From concrete columns with animal faces relating back to the neoclassical columns of the 1929 Sea Lion Pool; to the monkey tail inlays on the conference table, the Learning Center is an expression of the craft building style of the city and the zoo’s historic park structures.
