Zoo Atlanta's Savanna Expansion Grand New View OPEN! August 2019
Zoo Atlanta has taken on a huge task of expanding their Entry and Parking and expanding the Masai Mara exhibit to include Elephants in a new, state of the art Elephant Barn and Habitat.
Get ready for the widest view in town - the Grand New View. From the Demonstration viewing up to the Elephant Barn Terrace, and Special Boma viewing and Giraffe Terrace - there is a lot to see and do. As you can see from the lower image - the place is huge and together with the Savanna Hall historic renovation, and 1000 car green-topped parking Garage - the place is expansive (just the way elephants need it to be). Just wanted to give you a sense of what this project will do for the Zoo and the City.
As you can see we were able to save a swath of trees through the heart of the exhibit, but due to the tremendous grading that needed to be done, many trees where cleared to create the new, stacked viewing areas. We have built a 21K s.f. elephant barn and paddocks, which lead out to the two large habitats for up to two groups - cows and bulls if needed - or one big 2 acre habitat. We designed the barn for 7 elephants including Bulls and babies. The large building on the bottom of the construction photo is the Cyclorama (+60K s.f.) - now called "Savanna Hall". Built in the early 1900's, the museum was built to house a 360˚ painting of the 'Burning of Atlanta". The painting is 50' tall and 400' long. It was removed by the Atlanta History Center and is being restored and re-hung in a new building at the History Center. Our project saw the way to accept the building and the land around it, and make it solve the largest problem facing the zoo; where to build a modern Elephant Barn and supporting habitats. By accepting the Cyclorama, the zoo has been able to, not only create a great up-to-date Elephant facility, but to develop an historical registered adaptive re-use project in the old museum to house the Zoo's Administrative offices, membership support and services on the lower levels and up on the upper two stories, create a 750 person Special Event hall with new terraces overlooking the new Elephant Savanna. This is off the chain.
At the same time - the City of Atlanta is building a new Parking solution called the Grant Park Gateway. It's a multi-level, 1000 car covered parking area with a green roof that is adding 3 acres of parkland back to Grant Park. It will give the zoo and park goers a new perspective on the park as well as a great view of the Bull Elephant habitat. The same contractor is building all three projects: Parking, Elephant and Cyclorama renovation.
See the photos below as a record of the early days opening the project to the public.
Click on the photos to see a full size photo
(Above) Site Plan of Elephant Savanna project limits. It's a Grand New View at Zoo Atlanta.