Photos and Updates

May 19, 2011: Denver Zoo Planners Double-Checking Toyota Elephant Passage Punch List

Punch lists signify buildings are being finished or near completion. However, for a 10-acre project like Toyota Elephant Passage, checking the construction punch list may be a long process.

As parts of the $50 million project are completed, members of the zoo’s Planning Department double-check the punch list containing items to be inspected and sent to the general contractor, Kiewit, to be corrected or altered. Comparing what was shown on the construction drawings to the constructed product may take several months for a project this large.

One of the most exciting parts of Toyota Elephant Passage is the Clayton F. Freiheit Elephant Building, where structural steel for the roof should be complete this week (photo above). Soon, the entire roof will be installed on the 20,000-square feet elephant building which can house up to 12 elephants, including our current Asian elephants, Mimi and Dolly. Also, gates are being installed in the elephant building. The eight elephant bedrooms in the building range in size from 770 to 990 square feet and total 6,800 square feet and the elephant parlor will be another 2,500 square feet.

The themed finish on the Village Outpost hut exterior and interior walls has been completed (photo above). The Outpost, one of three themed areas in Toyota Elephant Passage, will resemble a rural Asian village. Buildings and exhibits on the Outpost will show the damage elephants can do to huts and crops in these villages. Actual stories from residents in Sumatra, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia will illustrate how humans and animals are forced to compete for resources.

Work on the clouded leopard exhibit in the Village Outpost is nearing completion. Crews have finished installing a pool and are wrapping up final touches in the exhibit yard and view structure. Years ago, Denver Zoo had clouded leopards, which are native to southeast Asia.

Gates have been installed on the rhino-tapir building (photo above), another centerpiece of the project. The building will be home to two of our current residents, Malayan tapirs Benny and Rinny, plus another new animal to the zoo, the endangered greater one-horned rhino. Less than 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos are believed to exist in the world.

The waste management building on Toyota Elephant Passage, which will contain human trash, animal waste, hay and more, is nearing completion as well. The concrete masonry unit walls, a highly-durable but time-consuming feature, also should be complete this week. Structural roof steel also will be installed this week. The waste management building is where animal waste and trash will be converted into clean energy through a biomass gasification system. Ninety percent of the trash and animal waste will be pressed (to get the liquid out), shredded, pelletized, and finally, gasified into clean energy, powering Toyota Elephant Passage.

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