Tulsa Zoo Elephant Preserve

The Oxley Family Elephant Experience and Elephant Preserve at the Tulsa Zoo provides world-class care for elephants at all stages of life while allowing a wide range of viewing options for visitors. Construction of the new facility includes a state-of-the-art elephant barn and a 10-acre fenced area for the elephants to roam. The barn consists of a two-level pre-engineered metal building covering an area of 36,000 square feet. Portions of the building have a slab-on-grade for pedestrian traffic, while other floor areas have an organic substrate that provides better foot-care for the large animals. Column loads for the barn range from 60 to 175 kips.

FSGC installed a total of 82 Ductile Iron Piles to depths ranging from 50 to 55 feet with minimal pile waste due to the Plug and Drive connection. An Epiroc HB2000 percussion hammer mounted on a Hitachi 345 excavator was used to install the piles at an average rate of over 900 linear feet per day. The fast production rate, coupled with low-vibration installations had a negligible effect on animals in nearby exhibits. Pile load testing was performed and confirmed acceptable performance.

Learn more about the Tulsa Zoo Elephant Preserve.