Overview

Working for Beard on the new Bristol Zoo Project development, Solum contributed to a £9.2 million scheme to create a Central African rainforest habitat within the existing grounds at Cribbs Causeway.

The new facilities include a gorilla house, crocodile house and parrot aviary, alongside a large outdoor gorilla habitat complete with a surrounding moat.  The wider development also included a new viewing area and learning spaces, enhancing the visitor experience and supporting Bristol Zoological Society’s conservation and education work.

Throughout the design process, Beard worked closely with specialist contractors and Bristol Zoological Society to ensure the habitat met the specific requirements of each threatened species.  This included careful consideration of water treatment, heating, atmospheric conditions and the use of non-toxic planting to help replicate the forests of Equatorial Guinea.

Solum delivered the substructure works for both the gorilla house and crocodile house, as well as the earthworks required to form the new moat around the gorilla island.  Our team also formed a new attenuation basin in the northern field to manage stormwater across the site.

In addition, Solum carried out drainage works to the Grade II listed Hollywood Mansion House, connecting the 200 year old building to the local sewer network for the first time.

Challenges

Shortly after preparation works commenced, swallows and wrens were discovered nesting within an existing structure known as the old Okapi Stable, which was scheduled for demolition as part of the project.

As nesting birds are protected, demolition of the stable was postponed until the birds had fledged later in the summer. Unfortunately, this caused a delay to the project and affected the overall completion timeline.

Working within the existing forested area also presented significant challenges due to the surrounding trees and protected root zones. The design team identified the relevant root protection areas and developed specialist measures to safeguard them. As excavation was not permitted within the ancient woodland, directional drilling was used to allow the drainage to pass safely beneath the root zones without disturbing the existing ground.