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Empty modern lecture hall with curved seating, wood-paneled walls, and a small stage with a podium

Otto Center Renovation

San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo's work doesn't end at the animal habitats, extending into classrooms, seminars, and public programs that connect people to wildlife and conservation. The Otto Center is where much of that educational mission takes shape, and the 7,000-square-foot renovation of its education wing gives that work a significantly better home.

Designed by obrARCHITECTURE, A Lionakis Company, in partnership with Good & Roberts (now C.W. Driver) through a design-build delivery, the improvements reorganize the education wing to better serve the staff, students, and public who move through it daily. Relocated classrooms, renovated restrooms, new mechanical systems and lighting, a new roof, and updated finishes and casework collectively modernize a space that hosts seminars, public events, and the development of the Zoo's broader educational programming.

Key Project Partners

  • Good & Roberts, Design-Build Contractor (now C.W. Driver)
Empty modern lecture hall with curved seating, wood-paneled walls, and a small stage with a podium
Covered outdoor walkway with beige columns, arched doorways, and a stretched shade canopy overhead
Courtyard with raised planter beds and beige stucco walls beneath a curved overhang