Coffee Breakfast

While visions of hot summer days likely spring to mind when one first thinks of going to the Zoo, a new Ambius project at the Saint Louis Zoo might convince you otherwise. Ambius St. Louis this year had the esteemed privilege of providing installation and design consultation services for the Zoo’s holiday-themed “U.S. Bank Wild Lights” exhibit. U.S. Bank Wild Lights, which will be open through December 30th, wows Zoo visitors with a spectacle of half a million lights, illuminated trees and Zoo animals.

“Working with the Saint Louis Zoo has been so much fun. From hanging the 20-foot Wild Lights sign to installing an acrylic swan the size of a mini-van, it has been very exciting to be a part of this project, ” said Charlee Storner, the St. Louis-based Designer at Ambius who spearheaded the project. “We collaborated with our Zoo colleagues to make sure each display had a distinct theme and told a story that Wild Lights attendees can enjoy.”

Guests to the Zoo wind their way through lighted walkways and caves, visiting a snowfall flurry walk, the beautiful swan lake, poppin’ prairie dogs, an Arctic wonderland, an illuminated penguin colony, a fantasy butterfly garden and a charming gingerbread village, flamboyant flamingos, numerous trees ablaze in lights and much more.

The Arctic Wonderland features an icy theme with blue bears and white penguins welcoming visitors amidst trees bedazzled with dripping lights. The Zoo’s trails are strewn with lights of all colors to guide visitors from display to display, creating an intimate experience.

Zoogoers can also go nose-to-whiskers with the sea lions in a rare, nighttime walk through the Sea Lion Sound tunnel. To stimulate the sea lions and capture the aquatic theme of the exhibit, the interactive Sea Lion Sound tunnel was decorated with blue rope lightning.

While working on Wild Lights, the Ambius team took great care in treating the zookeepers, staff, animals and botanical plants with the respect they deserve. The team even decorated the golf cart they used to transport decorations.

In addition to providing design services for Wild Lights, Ambius helped decorate for the Zoo’s “Breakfast with Santa” event at which children have the opportunity to meet Old St. Nick and see a few of their favorite animals at the same time. Prior to the holiday-themed event, Ambius assisted in the installation of the Zoo’s Halloween-themed “Boo at the Zoo” event.