Hanifl Nature Center at the Minnesota Zoo

The Hanifl Nature Center, a central access point to the Treetop Trail at the Minnesota Zoo, is designed to encourage engagement with nature in all its forms with a special focus on trees and forest habitat. The building, previously an existing grain elevator, was reimagined during the design of the trail. A walkway on the second floor of the Hanifl building connects to the trail at a landing that houses two new elevators and all-gender restrooms. Inside, a grand, open staircase makes use of the vertical space inside the old elevator shaft. Educational programming and a community art gallery expand the Zoo’s mission to “Connect people, animals, and the natural world to save wildlife.”