Taken with permission from the July/August
issue of American Consulting Engineer

Sleep Safely, Cheetah

Animals deserve safe homes, too. That conviction drove Perks Reutter Associates as the firm managed financing, engineering and construction of the Philadelphia Zoo’s new habitat for gorillas and apes.

The $20-million, 2.5-acre Primate Reserve is equipped with a fire-safety systems patterned after those in the newest nursing homes. With sprinklers and smoke-evacuators, it has to be the safest home ever built for our two-legged animal friends.

In this case, those friends represent 11 primate species, including gorillas, orangutan, and lemurs. Their safety was a huge concern for zoo officials; the zoo’s old primate exhibit was destroyed by fire in 1995. Many of the animals perished.

The exhibit also had to meet strict public safety standards and conservation guidelines but nothing could diminish the visitors’ ability to see and enjoy the animals.

For more details about the Philadelphia Zoo’s new Primate Reserve, click here.

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