OTL’s Role:
Henry Doorly Zoo Alaskan Adventure
LOCATION
Omaha, Nebraska
PROJECT OVERVIEW
- Build
- Interactive Fountain
- Water Feature Construction
- Mechanical Systems
- Waterproofing
At the Henry Doorly Zoo, the $14 million Alaskan Adventure exhibit teaches kids how Alaskan marine animals move through the wild. OTL built the mechanical and electrical systems behind 75 bronze sculptures by Nebraska artist Matthew Placzek, including an 18-foot humpback whale, jumping salmon, puffins and sea lions.
PROJECT
CHALLENGE
Zoo leadership wanted a water feature that could teach the same behaviors kids see marine animals perform in the wild, using nozzles arranged precisely around dozens of sculptures without overwhelming young visitors.
OTL’S
SOLUTION
OTL arranged spray nozzles around all 75 sculptures, programming computerized controls to simulate the splashes, spouts and dives of breaching whales, jumping salmon and diving sea lions. Water trails from the humpback’s extended fins and its separate 16-foot tail sculpture as it appears to submerge for a dive, while a mix of water and air gives every effect lifelike, animal-inspired motion.
Since opening, Alaskan Adventure has helped the zoo break every previous attendance record, drawing more than two million visitors a year, and USA Today named Henry Doorly Zoo Nebraska’s most Instagrammed site in 2016.
