Trade Show News:

AZA: Please join John Hawkinson and Chris Foster at the upcoming AZA Conference in Kansas City, September 9-12th. Our booth number is 505. We will be showcasing our latest work including the projects highlighted below.

G2E: Jeff Sheiber and John Hawkinson will be representing COST at this year's Global Gaming Conference in booth #4824. Join us September 24th -26th.

CAZA: Chris Foster will be attending the CAZA Conference in Saskatoon September 25th – 27th.

IAAPA: COST will be exhibiting at the upcoming IAAPA Convention in Orlando, FL, November 19th-22th. Please visit our staff in booth 4027.

The Como Zoo introduced its new $11,000,000 Gorilla Forest to the public on Thursday June 6th. Gorilla Forest is the new residence for seven gorillas. The exhibit includes a 13,000 sq. ft. exterior area that is themed to resemble the West African Rainforest. Rockwork, waterfalls, faux and natural trees, and vines all tie the theme together and provide opportunities to climb, play, and forage together in a habitat that is very natural and has many similarities to their native environments.

The vast exhibit provides ample interior and exterior view areas that allow patrons to get face to face with the gorillas. "The new habitat allows guests to get up close to these amazing animals and appreciate them in a naturalistic environment thanks to the work provided by COST. Como's mission to connect guests with the animals in a meaningful way that fosters appreciation, conservation, and preservation is only further advanced by the realistic habitat that features naturalistic rockwork, waterfalls, and natural enrichment items for the animals," says Michelle Furrer, Como Zoo's Campus Manager.

COST was hired by the City of St. Paul, Parks and Recreation Department and CPMI to provide shop drawings, engineering, scale models and to construct the specialty aspects of the exhibit. This work included faux rock work, a waterfall and pond feature, earth bank retaining walls, faux trees, and vines. The project was designed by CLR Design based in Philadelphia, PA.

This You Tube video highlights both the construction phases and completed project (provided by the Como Park Zoo and City of St. Paul).

Como Zoo

The Great Plains Zoo opened their new snow monkey exhibit, as part of Monkeys, Magic and More!, earlier this summer. Monkeys, Magic and More! involved a new gate entry, a greeting plaza for guests, a summer pond for flamingos, and a holding building and new summer and winter exhibit space for these playful primates. There were enhancements also made to the museum building. These developments were all part of a 2007 master plan to enhance the zoo.

The snow monkey exhibit included natural deadfall and boulders along with a shotcrete and hand carved rock work, a waterfall, and ponds that create areas for animal exploration and enrichment. Special attention was taken to ensure the natural boulder and simulated rock blended seamlessly within the exhibit.

COST's scope of services included shop drawings, engineering, and a quarter inch scale model which was used for final design approval. The decorative shotcrete rockwork walls, free standing rockwork, waterfall and shotcrete pools were also constructed under our contract.

The project team included the Great Plains Zoo staff, the General Contractor Henry Carlson Company, CLR Design and COST of Wisconsin, Inc.

Photo courtesy of the Great Plains Zoo.

Great Plains Zoo

COST of Wisconsin, Inc. was selected to invigorate Downtown Disney's skyline by building one of its most prominent features, an active volcano feature at the Rainforest Cafe. The volcano, lighting, fog, and pyrotechnics are all part of a show that erupts every 15 minutes. Disney's premier shopping and eating venue is visited by locals and tourists from around the world and few can take their eyes off the show once it begins.

This complex project was developed through a creative design process with Minnesota based Cuningham Group Architecture, Landry's Restaurants, Disney and COST of Wisconsin, Inc. The project consisted of several materials and construction methods to bring the idea to fruition. A concrete, hand carved rockwork process was used at the base of the volcano transitioning to a combination of shotcrete and fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) at the lava tube. COST drew upon its sister company's (Refractory Service Incorporated) experience in the furnace industry to develop the interior lining of the volcano. This was required due to the intense pyrotechnics that were used to create the eruption effect.

The Short List, A Few Projects Underway

• Assiniboine Park Zoo, Journey to Churchill
• Universal Studios, Orlando, FL
• Wonders of Wildlife, Springfield, MO
• Edmonton Valley Zoo, Wander Exhibit
• Williston Recreation Center and Water Park
• Pikes Peak Hill Climb Museum
• Audubon Zoo, Asian elephants
• Art Institute of Chicago
• Toledo Zoo, Penguins
• Silverleaf's Orlando Breeze Resort

Stay tuned for more details on these and other projects.