August 2024
For much of this year it’s felt like we’ve been working during the Monsoon season. The drier weather of late has certainly helped our works. It’s also much easier to take dry PPE and boots off too!
Have you ever wondered how you might hang four 5.5 meters high doors? We recommend using a telehandler, just as we did whilst recently fitting the doors to the giraffe building. The doors open onto the savannah and are operated using a handle and chain system. At its highest point, the giraffe building measures 10 metres.
We’ve now fitted the chain hoists inside the building, which will operate the feeding browsers. Food such as hay, branches or twigs can be delivered to different heights, providing giraffes of all sizes with their 5-a-day. In the interest of good relations, browsers in the breeding giraffe building are radio controlled!
Keeping staff comfortable as they watch over breeding giraffes is also a priority. Underfloor heating and lighting is now installed and power switched on. The decorating team have now finished, in readiness for the floor layers to be applied
The Savannah is really coming together. Working closely with the team from the zoo, we’ve been adding a few ‘African-style’ finishes. We hope visitors will appreciate our engineering solution, which has transformed the giraffe feeding platform by using Eucalyptus as the ‘themed’ timber.
From the tallest to some of the smallest. The roof panels and rooflights are now fitted to the lovebird’s aviary and to the vulture’s aviary.
The new netting and netting repairs to the existing wetland aviary is progressing well and on track to be completed mid September.
The self-binding gravel arrived for use on a path which charts a course through the Savannah. We’ve already sanded a 3 metre track and are now underway with application of the gravel. This path will enable staff to drive around the Savannah.
The Hidden Savanah is also coming together nicely too. Internal block walls are now finished and scaffolding is coming down. We then move onto the next phase of external fascia and soffits works.
When you walk through the main entrance into Heart of Africa, we hope you’ll notice the funky concrete floor. Our team has begun applying the first of what will be hundreds of square metres. Creating a pattern by pressing pads just before the concrete sets has added an ‘interesting’ finish. Let’s hope the weather stays dry for a while yet…
We look forward to bringing you a further update very soon.
Until next time…
Back
