The L’Oceanographic Aquarium in Valencia, Spain, for which Robert Satchell and the design staff at Satchell Engineering & Associates designed the Life Support System (LSS) for the entire park, is at the center of a remarkable story. It is heartening to hear about the aquarium providing support and safety for two beluga whales that were caught in the middle of the Ukraine war in Kharkiv. With the help of SeaWorld, these whales have found a new home at the L’Oceanographic Aquarium. Click to read more about this story.

Senior and Lead Engineer Judy Satchell and the Satchell Engineering & Associates team is proud to be working with Cincinnati Zoo as they break ground on the Elephant Trek expansion.

Board members, donors and local officials gathered at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden on June 15 to grab shovels and officially break ground on the largest construction project in the history of the Cincinnati Zoo. Elephant Trek, the crown jewel of the More Home to Roam capital campaign that the Zoo launched in 2018, is one step closer to becoming a reality.

“Elephant Trek is the result of a big vision that represents our Zoo’s role as a champion of Asian elephant conservation, both here in the U.S. and in the places these animals live around the world,” said Francie Hiltz, Chair of the Zoo’s Board of Trustees, in her opening remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony. “By creating a bigger space for a bigger herd of elephants to thrive, we are making a big commitment to Asian elephant breeding and conservation that will demonstrate to our visitors the power and beauty of coexistence for animals and humans.” (Continue reading about the project)

Earlier this month,  Como Park Zoo & Conservatory held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open its newest exhibit, Como Harbor, the new seal and sea lion habitat. This exhibit redesign and overhaul features three different pinniped species: two gray seals, two harbor seals, and four sea lions, including Sparky.  Satchell Engineering & Associates state of the art life support design supported the architect and City of Saint Paul to help create a new home for Sparky and his friends.  Como Harbor’s forward-thinking design features include needed upgrades for Sparky the Sea Lion and her seal and sea lion friends as well as for Como’s visitors. Como Harbor is a momentous improvement that will exceed all best practices for the care of seals and sea lions. The habitat features a large salt-water pool that allows the seals and sea lions to swim and socialize outdoors year-round. New behind the scenes space will provide state-of-the-art facilities for the care of the animals.

From a newly shaded amphitheater to a new underwater viewing discovery zone, this multi-layered habitat provides visitors with many opportunities to get up close to the animals and greater insights into their natural behaviors and native intelligence.

Como Harbor is a $21 million reinvention and improvement of Como Zoo’s seals and sea lions exhibit in the heart of Como Zoo. The immersive and naturalistic design of the habitat features rocky outcroppings designed to reflect the Pacific coast. Como Harbor was designed to provide expert care for the animals with elements such as underwater transfers that allow seals and sea lions to swim in and out of spaces, and multiple locations for animal training sessions to allow zookeepers to provide specialized care for all three species that call Como Harbor home. Read More

We are very excited about the opening of the new exhibit: Water’s Edge Africa at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. We are proud to be the LSS firm associated with these new exhibits. Check out the new hippo and penguin exhibit by clicking video.

Robert and Matt attending the 26th annual AZFA conference which is being held in OKC. Satchell Engineering & Associates is proud to once again be sponsor of the conference. Let us know if you are attending the conference yourself so we can meet up.