Birmingham Zoo

Hoar Construction managed a phased project for the Birmingham Zoo that began with a Children’s Area and followed with Alabama Wilds, a trail that provided first-hand views of many animals native to Alabama.

The most recent phase, the Trails of Africa, is a 14-acre mixed-species exhibit featuring elephants, rhinos, giraffe, zebra, and other African hoofstock. Designed to resemble an African savanna, the exhibit contains watering holes and mud wallows, animal holding facilities, and visitor amenities. Understanding during the preconstruction phase that significant subsurface rock could be encountered during excavation, Hoar Construction recommended that unit prices be established through the competitive bid process to deal with the situation should it be necessary. Had contractors bid the project without unit prices, they would have inflated their bids to account for these unknown quantities. By using Hoar Construction’s recommendation and accepting unit prices for this work, the Zoo established reasonable pricing in a competitive bid environment and was able to control cost for the rock removal.

Other relevant project facts:

Program & Construction Management Services

Multi-Phased Projects

Themed Exhibits

ABC Excellence in Construction Merit Award

CMAA Project Achievement Award