Zoo Atlanta has three major construction projects in progress, and despite a rainy fall and some expensive new tariffs on steel, the work is proceeding according to schedule, said president and CEO Raymond King.
A bird’s-eye-view of the zoo, available from drone video, shows a new elephant house rising out of the ground and the Grant Park landscape being reshaped by bulldozer and crane.
In the meantime, the old Cyclorama building, now part of the zoo, is being transformed into an events facility called Savanna Hall, a 57,000-square-foot structure that will house administrative offices and host banquets, weddings and corporate meetings.
Savanna Hall will look out on an expanded African Savanna habitat for African elephants and new living space for giraffes, zebras, ostriches, warthogs and other animals.
The new elephant habitat will triple the space available to the animals, making room for up to seven elephants and creating the possibility of housing both males and females, who must sometimes be cared for separately.
The current elephant habitat will be modified to become a home for a new species to the zoo, the southern white rhinoceros.
In July Zoo Atlanta announced a partnership with Conservation South Luangwa, a nonprofit organization based in Zambia, to protect African elephants and other species impacted by wildlife trafficking and human wildlife conflict.
The final phase of the Grand New View project is the creation of a new entry plaza, which will take place after the demolition of the current administration building.
Some species, including giraffes, ostrich, warthogs and zebras, aren't visible to guests during construction.
Foundations and individuals contributed $42 million for the expansion, but the cost of the work grew after contractors discovered that the underpinning of the historic 1921 Cyclorama building needed shoring up.
While preserving the facade of the Cyclorama building, workers stripped out the interior, and essentially built a new four-story structure inside the old one.
Rain delays and rising steel costs also added to the pricetag.
The $50 million transformation is the most ambitious undertaking at the zoo since the 1980s.
The African Savanna habitat should open in the summer of 2019, and the new plaza and refurbished Savanna Hall should both be ready in the spring of 2020, according to Raymond B. King, president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta.
Design of the African Savanna habitat, which includes a pond and two waterfalls, was the result of intense study, said King.
“Our team went to zoos throughout country to learn what best practices were, and develop a wish list. And they got just about everything on that wish list” he said. “The elephant care team will tell you it’s one of the best facilities in the country.”
Demolition of the current administration facility won’t begin until the fall of 2019, said King. The zoo didn’t want to have construction at the front gate during the busy summer months.
Unfortunately, the rooms for King and others at Savanna Hall won’t be ready at that point, so they will camp out for several weeks in the Conservation Action Resource Center, while the build-out at Savanna Hall is completed.
The water features, artistic rock work and landscape design of the African Savanna are intended to replicate an African river basin, said King.
“Many of us have dreamed of going to Africa but most of us don’t get that chance,” he said. “This is the chance for everybody in Atlanta to experience the African savanna while not having to go any farther than a few minutes from downtown Atlanta.”
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