Bramble Park Zoo

Bramble Park Zoo | Watertown, SD

West Plains Engineering has provided engineering services for many different projects at the Bramble Park Zoo in Watertown, South Dakota. Some of the most interesting projects include the Children’s Zoo, Otter Habitat and the Terry Redlin Environmental Center.

The Children’s Zoo involves a barn that serves as a petting zoo for large farm animals including cows, sheep and goats, as well as smaller farm animals like chickens. Also included in the barn are classrooms that let kids pet and learn about small animals that zoo keepers bring to the building. The Children’s Zoo area also includes outdoor learning spaces such as a native South Dakota grasses maze and agricultural themed displays.

The otter exhibit has both outdoor and indoor spaces that help children learn about otters in their various habitats. The outdoor spaces have a man-made waterfall and a large swimming pool where children (and adults!) watch the otters play. The indoor spaces include a covered walkway with glass on both sides and a glass floor, allowing visitors to watch the otters swim underwater and get up close and personal with the marine creatures.

The Terry Redlin Environmental Center showcases what the Bramble Park Zoo is doing to become more energy efficient. The Center serves many different functions, including a large fish tank area that was donated by Terry Redlin’s son Chuck, classrooms that double as party rooms and the county watershed office that studies the water quality in Codington County. With so much to see and do in the Center, what visitors won’t see is the energy efficient design systems in place, and that’s how we want it. The building includes high efficiency windows, highly insulated walls and roof, air to air heat pumps, point of use water heaters, energy recovery ventilators and high efficiency lighting just to name a few.

West Plains has also done many other projects at the Bramble Park Zoo including the Tri-Plex Exhibit, Primate Building, Primate Bridge, Bear Enclosure and Winter Quarters

Construction Cost
$30 million

Date Completed
2014

Size
101,150 sf