Situation
The Oregon Zoo wanted to create a better future for elephants and began a three-phase creation of a habitat that would be a new benchmark for elephant health and well being. The project took place from March of 2013 and continued through December of 2015.
Solution
Phase One began with GBI constructing one-and-a-half miles of new service road and installing 500 feet of solider piling walls. It included stone embankment fills, utility installation, twelve 300-linear feet of horizontal drains constructed 150 feet below the building on a 1/1 slope, and creation of other facilities.
Phase Two included the mass grading for the Forest Hall Building and Elephant Barn buildings, and the construction of new open habitats featuring shade structures, pools, logs, and mounds.
Phase Three involved rerouting of the zoo train loop by re-grading 1500 linear feet of railroad track.
Notable
This is one of the largest indoor elephant facilities in the world. GBI installed four feet of specialized USGA topdressing sand throughout the habitat, to cushion and protect the elephants’ feet. The Oregon Zoo Elephant Lands venture was awarded the 2016 Project of the Year by the Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce.
