Snowdon's name, however, lives on at the London Zoo, where the Snowdon Aviary is getting an upgrade from the Foster+Partners architectural firm.

The 55-year-old aviary was designed by the late British architect Cedric Price, who worked with Lord Snowdon to build what became a beloved landmark among Londoners. With masts and angles that gave it the appearance of a tall sailing ship, the aluminium aviary was the first walk-through enclosure of its kind.

The structure was engineered so that it is supported by tension, as a tetrahedron shaped by a skeleton of poles held together by cables with a giant net "skin" wrapped around it. It was completed in 1962, and became the home of some of the world's most exotic birds, including peacocks and white ibis.

The British heritage-listed structure will now be modernized and upgraded, although not for birds. The aviary will become the new walk-through home for the zoo's colobus monkeys. The £7.1 million project is the most ambitious ever undertaken in the history of the zoo, according to facility director David Field.

The architects, for their part, note that the London Zoo is "an unusual microcosm of British architectural history. Since its earliest days, it has been a proud patron to many leading architects, and is today home to many notable works of architecture."

Among them was Decimus Burton, who designed the Clock Tower and Giraffe House in the mid-1800s, and Tecton, creator of the historic Penguin Pool and Round House gorilla enclosure in the 1960s. Sir Hugh Casson and Neville Condor served as architects of the Elephant House during the latter period.

"I have a particular personal affection for (the aviary) as it shows most strongly the influence of our mutual friend and mentor Buckminster Fuller," Norman Foster said.

The London Zoo, first established in the early 19th century as a scientific community, in modern decades has also been a popular setting for film and music video production. Some scenes from a 2001 Harry Potter movie were shot there, as was a Duran Duran video and even the 1987 cult classic Withnail and I.

So the legacy of the London Zoo, and specifically its architecturally significant aluminium aviary, are protected by the approach of architects sensitive to both its history and its features. The airy height and space of the renovated former aviary will make it the perfect home for black-and-white colobus monkeys, which are native to Tanzania, Kenya and other African nations. The monkeys live up to 20 years, and will be joined in their new home by parrots and forest antelope sharing their environment.

The zoo plans to create new activities for visitors seeking to experience both the animal habitats and the architectural history of the spaces. London Zoo also plans new apprenticeship programs and partnerships with local academic communities to offer to local youth when work begins in early 2018.

The zoo plans to create new activities for visitors seeking to experience both the animal habitats and the architectural history of the spaces. London Zoo also plans new apprenticeship programs and partnerships with local academic communities to offer to local youth when work begins in early 2018.

Above all else, the London Zoo's upgrade of the aviary are meant to honor the late Lord Snowdon.

He was inspired by the graceful movements of flying birds and conceived a pioneering aviary that looks almost weightless - like a bird," said the zoo's Ralph Armond. "It is an iconic piece of architecture so we are proud to have something very special to remember him by."