We are pleased to present our Winter 2010 Newsletter packed with company updates, new fabrication methods, and recently completed projects and photographs. Please visit COST's website for the very latest on these projects and many more.     In This Issue Elephant Trails, National Zoo Children's Zoo, OKC Zoo Great Wild North, Brookfield Zoo Tech Forum                 Asian Elephants at Smithsonian's National Zoo Set to Roam New Elephant Trails The Smithsonian's National Zoo has embarked on an ambitious $60 million renovation of its elephant complex. A few highlights include the elephant house renovation with added adjustable stalls, sand floors and a community center where the elephants are encouraged to socialize and interact. The outdoor exhibit area features roughly 3.5 acres of pools, sand piles and grassy areas within three habitats. The team designed and developed detailed mud bank retaining walls that circle an 800-foot-long elephant walking trail. These walls serve as an animal containment barrier. The walking trail provides the elephants an opportunity for daily exercise and a chance to forage for food. Special rubbing logs, decorative ponds, a salt lick area and a grazing meadow all contribute to creating an interesting, interactive environment for these amazing animals. Smithsonian staff members, PJA's (Pat Janikowski and Associates) team and COST artisans worked collaboratively to create highly detailed finishes throughout the exhibit, including lichens along rock facades. This project was developed as a Design/Build project with Seattle based PJA, COST of Wisconsin, Inc. and general contractor, Walsh Construction.     National Zoo                 Oklahoma City Children's Zoo The Oklahoma City Zoo is gearing up to open their new Children's Zoo this spring. The 2.5 acre, $8 million area will allow children to learn and explore their natural surroundings. The macaw entrance has two entry points into the zoo; one for small children and a larger portal for adults. Once inside, the beauty and color of the macaws nestled within a naturalistic setting captivate the eye. Passing the macaw exhibit, visitors will discover habitats for flamingos, and both spider and squirrel monkeys. These are not your typical animal exhibits; the area includes interactive children's activities such as tree climbers, a kid's splash pool with a simulated waterfall and a dig site. All of these amenities are developed to inspire exercise while children and adults alike are educated about the species. COST artisans developed the animal habitats, theme trees (including a 16' tall hollowed out interactive tree, pictured), rock work, waterfall, earth embankments, streams, custom benches, and eight sculpted animals. The overall exhibit fabrication scope included shop drawings, engineering, and scale models. The project team included: exhibit designer, Jones and Jones; landscape designer, MIG Design; exhibit fabricator, COST of Wisconsin, Inc.; and the general contractor, Downey Contracting.     Oklahoma City Zoo                 Brookfield Zoo, Great Wild North! Springtime cannot come soon enough for the staff at the Brookfield Zoo, its loyal patrons, and a few lucky animals. Bison, eagles, and bears will soon be calling the Great Wild North their new home. St. Louis based PGAV Architects, the Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Zoological Society worked diligently to develop this new habitat along with local general contractor Ragnar Benson. This state of the art exhibit provides nearly three times more space than the existing bear grottos. COST of Wisconsin Inc.'s work included building scaled exhibit models, engineering, shop drawings, steel armatures and shotcrete applications to create approximately 65,000 square feet of simulated rock, streams and other faux textures. Most of the rock work is free standing formations reaching peaks up to 20 feet tall. The remaining rock is comprised of dimensional and texture applications onto concrete pools and building walls. Some building walls were painted with a rock mural to blend with the 3D simulated rock facades. Underwater viewing windows from within the holding building give patrons an up-close and personal view of the brown bears, providing an unparalleled visitor experience. Another feature within our scope included a large prefabricated glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) oak tree for the eagle exhibit. In order to screen mechanical equipment, fiberglass (FRP) cast rock panels were installed on the holding building. The intent was to mask architectural lines and create a more organic and natural setting.     Brookfield Zoo                 Tech Forum Our artisans are called upon to replicate the very best of Mother Nature's grandeur. We have recently been involved in several projects that require fabricating artificial snow and ice. Due to the unique properties of these elements, typical materials do not provide a truly authentic appearance. We will present a couple projects where we have achieved highly realistic snow and ice finishes by blending a combination of materials that transform these good decorative features into spectacular ones. The first project was an interior exhibit for the Museum of the Adirondacks in Tupper Lake, NY. We used a translucent, fire retardant, FRP that allows for light passage through the panels. The individual FRP panels were fabricated from molds. This is the same process used in typical GFRC/FRP rock work applications. Once the wall sections were constructed, they were shipped to the museum for final erection and installation. Topical colorations and additives were applied to the FRP to create a crystalline appearance. Well placed back-lights provide a vivid blue glow through the FRP panels. The aqua blue color is typical of natural glacier walls. The second project was completed for an indoor theme attraction in Spain. The rock mountain was fabricated in FRP with an added resin to produce the snow effect. Faux icicles were also cast from molds and applied to the rockwork adding even more realism to the Arctic experience. A multiple step painting process with crystalline additives was used to bring out the bright white coloration of a new snowfall. This application is very realistic, yet durable, perfect for high trafficked areas within a theme space.     Simulated Ice & Snow                  The Short List A Few Projects Underway Little Rock Zoo, Penguin Exhibit Bermuda Zoo & Aquarium, Madagascar Exhibit Kansas City Zoo, Polar Bear Exhibit Ferrari Theme Park, Abu Dhabi, UAE Dallas Zoo, African Savanna, Phase II California Living Museum Stay tuned for more details on these and other projects                       For more information about any of our projects, contact: Christopher Foster, Seattle, WA at 888-567-2678 Jeffrey Sheiber, Orlando, FL at 800-221-7625 ext 2101 Glenn Barnard, Orlando, FL at 800-221-7625 ext 2104 John W. Hawkinson, Jackson, WI at 800-221-7625 ext 6033 Mohamed Al Sayed, Dubai, UAE at + (971)-4-397-8836 website