Text Box: The Lion House, a NYC landmark, on the grounds of the Bronx Zoo/ Wildlife Conservation Society is a 30,000 SF single story building plus basement on Astor Court, a group of buildings at the center of the Bronx Zoo.  The Lion House was vacant since the late 1970’s and much of the structure and mechanical systems were seriously deteriorated.

Kallen & Lemelson provided mechanical/electrical and fire protection engineering services for the gut renovation of this 30,000 SF structure.  The renovated building  houses multi-use space for community meetings, lectures, educational activities , and exhibits.  It also has the capability of catering events with a new warming kitchen in the basement.  The other half of the building houses a new “cutting edge” Madagascar animal exhibit.

The Wildlife Conservation Society and the New York City DDC mandated that the renovation design be a green design following the NYC DDC High Performance Guidelines.

The combination of the green design in a landmark building with the complexities of retrofitting two diverse occupancies and the environmental demand of the indoor Madagascar animal exhibit proved challenging.  Additional challenges included:
Limited space for the required program.  The basement was fully utilized for program space including animal holding areas and a warming kitchen for the multipurpose space
A basement clear height of 8’0” and less in many
        areas
The need to integrate with campus utilities.  The Bronx Zoo has a cogeneration plant with medium temperature hot water from the plant distributed throughout the site
The medium temperature hot water loop, as well as a natural gas main, serving several buildings, ran through the basement of the Lion House and needed to be relocated
The Lion House is located in one of the busiest, congested  location in the zoo

The indoor environmental demands of the Madagascar animal exhibit  included:
Specific temperature and humidity requirements varying with location within the exhibit.  Three thermal zones with diverse requirements were needed for the exhibit
A temperature controlled pool for the crocodile exhibit 
Numerous ponds and water falls 
Large sky lit areas
Inconspicuous routing of conduit, ductwork and piping 

Architect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . .Fox & Fowle Architects
Construction Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . .  . . . . .$15 Million
Text Box: LION HOUSE RECONSTRUCTION, BRONX ZOO/WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY
Text Box: KALLEN & LEMELSON, Consulting Engineers, LLP