Texas Construction Magazine named the Africa Live! Exhibit at the San Antonio Zoo as its “2008 Best of Non-Profit” project award winner. The Africa Live! Exhibit is open 365 days a year, spans 1.5 acres, and is composed of a nonlinear, curved structure with 300 drilled piers in a tight, 18,000-sq-ft footprint. Design of the exhibit was especially challenging in that it required demolition of 3.8 acres of the existing zoo property, the complete renovation of the elephant area, and the design of specialized circulation and filtration systems for a state-of-the-art underwater hippo and crocodile habitat that allowed visitors to observe the animals in a simulated natural environment.
Vickrey & Associates, Inc. provided consulting engineering and surveying services for the San Antonio Zoological Society, Jones & Jones Architects, and the contractor, C.F. Jordon Construction to develop the award-winning Exhibit. VICKREY was responsible for the site dimension plan for building and exhibit placement in accordance with the architect's layout, the storm water drainage design and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SW3P), building electrical and plumbing design, and the wastewater systems. In addition, we completed the fire and domestic water design, which included analysis for fire flow protection and domestic facility demand, and required coordination with the San Antonio Fire Marshal to develop the fire access and protection plan.We also coordinated with CPS Energy for the electrical demands, consolidation of electrical services, construction of power mains, and a new gas distribution system. VICKREY provided topographic survey, staking, and construction phase services.