| Ragnar Benson's Andy Gibbons had difficult requests for his latest construction project. The occupants wanted lots of natural light, big floorplates, and an . . . igloo? Sure, when your client is Brookfield Zoo. (Yes, parts are both LEED and LEMUR certified.) | |||
| The $27M project is the largest in Zoo history and will replace the old 1930s bear grottos, which were entirely concrete, including the floors. Construction started in June 2008 and the new exhibits, including three bear enclosures, a bison yard, education center, restaurant, and souvenir shop will open to the public May 8. The 7-acre area was formerly a goat mountain and an open wooded site. Ragnar Benson recycled the trees it cut down into benches and scratching posts for the bears. Kudos to Ragnar's safety inspector: No employees became scratching posts. | |||
| Zookeepers felt their secret to polar bear breeding was an igloo the bears liked, out of public view, so Andy and his crew replicated it in the new exhibit. Brookfield Zoo's Mike Kenney says he's expecting the exhibit, funded entirely by private donation, to attract record crowds (2.3 million) to the zoo this year. The new enclosures are much larger and include pools of filtered and aerated water the bears can swim in as well as “animal enhancement pockets”—places where keepers hide food to encourage the bears to come into view. |
BEAR OF A PROBLEM
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