In June, Christchurch-based firm Studio 4 Architects came on board to design the new facility and have now delivered a first look at the tuatara space in the animal reserve.
The facility will include nine separate areas that have the capacity to house 21 tuatara, and an attached staff building that includes space for a bug station, hospital pen and working space for living species officers.
Visitors will be able to walk around the outside of the facility and view inside each of the enclosures. There is also a public viewing window to see when staff are doing health checks of the tuatara.
Studio 4 director Matt Sloper said the project was an opportunity to design a facility that not only housed the tuatara, but also told the story of their history and connection to Southland.
"Based on the ancestral home of tuatara, an island has been formed to securely locate the enclosure and aid in telling the story of their homeland. Similarly, the enclosure shape is inspired by the spiny back of the tuatara and creates a sanctuary for the inhabitants and varied viewing opportunities for visitors," he said.
Ground breaking will begin at the beginning of September and the enclosure is expected to be completed in April 2024.
The construction of the new tuatara enclosure was part of Project 1225, the city’s museum rebuild project, which also includes the construction of the Tisbury storage facility and museum rebuild.
