The zoo searched across the nation to find an engineering team that was willing to build the new polar bear exhibit. No other firm wanted to take on the liability and risk associated with engineering the glass that separated the bears from the public, so we stepped up to the plate and found it to be one of the most rewarding and exciting projects to date.

This 10,200 SF viewing experience gives the Zoo’s 700,000 annual visitors both an underwater and overhead view of these magnificent creatures. Structurally, these renovations included enlarging the existing Polar Bear stalls by adding concrete columns in the existing building and additions to the existing foundations. We also added an overlook glulam shade structure on top of an existing building, carefully analyzing the existing structure to support the new loads and reinforcing the existing structure with steel beams and columns. And, of course, extra care was required to minimize disruption to the polar bears and zookeepers. Pretty cool!