SRG Partnership, a Portland architecture and planning firm, is heading up a world-class team of consultants who will help the Oregon Zoo chart a course for the next 25 years, zoo officials said. SRG, along with CLR Design, Atelier Dreiseitl and a cadre of subconsultants, will spend the next year evaluating zoo operations and creating a master plan for projects funded by the $125 million zoo bond measure passed in 2008. Their plan is expected to be complete by fall 2011.
“We are excited to be working with this team of highly accomplished professionals who will help us make the zoo an even better place for animals and people,” said Kim Smith, zoo director. “The team will create a comprehensive plan for the zoo, designs for specific exhibits and facilities, and plans for saving water and energy that will make the zoo a model of sustainability. They will also help us schedule these improvements and assess costs and savings, ensuring that we maintain excellent stewardship of public funds and complete these projects on time and on budget.”
Once the master plan is complete, the zoo will spend an estimated eight years building the exhibits that will turn the voters’ vision into reality. In addition to tackling the exciting lineup of animal exhibits and other new facilities outlined in the bond, the consultant team will provide expert advice on reuse and conservation of water and energy. Sustainability initiatives will include harvesting rainwater, improving the efficiency of heating and cooling systems, reclaiming and recycling water from animal exhibits, and possibly generating energy on site.