Franklin: The Centre is the largest civic building to be built in Franklin in the last 45 years, and was the subject of a 2005 design competition won by ASC Architects.

The changing role of a modern zoo is reflected in this striking building: the state-of-the-art facility is the first national centre for conservation medicine anywhere in the world.

The design had to promote the zoo's involvement in the wider issues of endangered species preservation, and the ways in which the health of wildlife and human populations are interlinked. So, as well as meeting the day to day healthcare requirements of the park's inhabitants, the building had to include a public education component.