A major urban center on a busy harbor may be a unique location for a zoo, but Darling Harbour in Sydney, Australia, established Wildlife World to attract both animal lovers and architectural students alike. The urban zoo’s tensioned stainless steel mesh roof draws visitors’ attention, allows sunlight to sustain the created natural habitats and provides a barrier to protect the wildlife from unsafe excursions into the city.

Fabric Structure Systems (FSS), Whangarei, New Zealand, teamed with Australia’s Universal Fabric Structures to create the first known steel mesh tensioned structure from 35 lightweight steel arches supporting 4,445 square meters of almost transparent stainless steel mesh. FSS used its experience in fabricating PVC membranes, but undertook careful testing with the metal mesh to ensure it could hold up to high winds and keep its shape without stretching.