The Butterfly House at the Melbourne Zoo is one of its most popular exhibits. The original glass structure designed by Lyon Hilbert dates from 1985. The visitor experience is memorable, not because of the architecture, but because of the setting. To enter the building is to step into a steamy hot jungle of overgrown vines dripping with humidity. And all around are fabulously exotic butterfly’s flapping about as if in some kind of frenzied dance.

The project brief was to improve the visitor experience by providing more information about the butterfly, its habitat and behaviour. This included the redesign of the entry and exit tunnels, and the provision of more interpretive displays and exhibits. The existing building remains virtually unchanged although there is a new covered outdoor butterfly clearing created at the end of the journey. An exhibit has been set up as a temporary research station or laboratory camp located within a forest clearing.