Rainforest Dome Replacement

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Cleveland , Ohio
Osborn Engineering provided Structural, Mechanical, and Electrical services for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s RainForest Dome Replacement Project. The Project involved removing the existing RainForest dome and replacing it with a high-quality, multi-layer, transparent, lightweight, structural, and durable pneumatically prestressed, Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene, (“ETFE”), foil cushion system, or equal, and structural steel superstructure.

The team at Osborn was responsible for providing initial concept designs, engineering, permitting, and for field verifying all relevant existing conditions before commencing work. Osborn was also responsible for all modifications to the Rainforest including an existing dome removal, temporary weather protection system, replacement dome installation, roofing repair, installation of a new lightning protection system, lighting upgrades to the orangutan habitat, and facility maintenance access walkways, as well as fall protection equipment.

The Rainforest showcases more than 10,000 plants and over 600 animals from the jungles of Asia, Africa, and the Americas in a naturalistic high-heat and high-humidity, setting, including a 25-foot waterfall and other interactive exhibits. Located in the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo at the eastern corner off Wildlife Way in the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, the Zoo and RainForest are open to the public year-round. Although the RainForest is open to the public, the project temporarily closed off public areas. The time for the closure was minimized and coordinated with Zoo staff.