Last week the
National Aviary marked the progress of its $18.5 million expansion and renovation with a topping off ceremony and a raising of the project's final steel beam.
The project includes construction of the Helen M. Schmidt FliteZone Theater for live bird presentations, films and educational programming.
"The FliteZone Theater will be the nation's first indoor educational theater designed to incorporate free-flight bird demonstrations as a critical part of conservation education programming," says Patrick Mangus, executive director of the National Aviary. "Conservation-focused classes and presentations will be designed to help educate visitors about individual bird species, and about the importance of wildlife, biodiversity and the preservation of natural habitats."
The project also includes the creation of new facades and a grand entrance along Arch Street; a new cafe operated by North Side's Bistro To Go with indoor and outdoor seating; an open-air rooftop Sky Deck for raptor demonstrations and special events; and a new education classrooms with state-of-the-art multimedia features. Significant renovations to the existing facility are also taking place.
Work is expected to be complete in September 2010, and to achieve LEED certification. In addition to the design being eco-friendly, it's also bird-friendly. Millions of birds die each year from collisions with glass windows, so to reduce bird strikes, the design will employ extensive use of fritted glass, a dotted material that lets in light while appearing opaque enough from the exterior for birds to recognize the glass as a surface rather than a transparent space.
The Aviary's expansion and renovation are designed by Springboard architecture firm, located in the River Walk Corporate Centre on the South Side.
The first phase of the project (the 2,3000-square-foot Penguins Point exhibit and renovated Main Hall) opened Memorial Day 2009. Construction on the Grasslands exhibit concluded in March 2010.
The National Aviary's building was originally constructed in 1952. The wetlands area and large greenhouse structure were added in 1968. 1996 saw the addition of the atrium area and gift shop, and a parking lot was added around that time as well.
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Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Patrick Mangus, executive director of the National Aviary
Image courtesy of National Aviary