Philadelphia Zoo

The new KidZooU transforms the historic former pachyderm building and elephant yard into a new indoor/outdoor Children’s Zoo and Education Center. Water and its role in supporting the environment are a key educational feature of the award-winning project. KidZooU incorporates a number of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) techniques and elements, such as two 3,000 gallon cisterns to manage roof runoff, use of gray water to flush toilets in restrooms, impervious surfaces draining to four rain gardens distributed throughout the site, two large stone infiltration beds for stormwater overflow, and green roofs.

• LEED Gold Certification, U.S. Green Building Council
• 2014 Groundbreaker Award, Delaware Valley Green Building Council
• 2014 Grand Jury Award, Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
• 2014 Exhibit of the Year Award, Association of Zoos and Aquariums
• 2013 Best Stormwater Control Measure Project Award, Temple Villanova Sustainable Stormwater Initiative