In a perfect world, the indoor air temperature is an ambient 78 degrees and the floors are a toasty 84 degrees throughout the entire year. The air is humid, much like a rain forest and is completely recycled every six minutes. Collaborators on this “perfect world” created for the bonobos and orangutans at Great Ape Trust are the Wolin Companies of West Des Moines.

Wolin, one of Iowa’s leading mechanical and electrical contractors, worked closely with Great Ape Trust’s other key business partners to design and construct the mechanical and electrical systems in this world-class facility. At the direction of the researchers at Great Ape Trust, Wolin was charged with creating an indoor climate where heating and cooling systems could run simultaneously. The result would be an internal atmosphere with the perfect aura of comfort and familiarity for the apes.

For this innovative company, who boasts, “We deliver comfort” as its mantra, this project provided a rare opportunity for comprehensive internal collaboration. However, this state-of-the-art research facility, tucked away in a former gravel pit on the southeast side of Des Moines, also brought about many unique challenges, says David Stroh, who along with Thomas Mass, are managing partners and owners of Wolin.

“Many of our projects involve office buildings, and while each of them may have a unique visual design, there are often standard components to the heating and cooling infrastructure,” Stroh explains.
“The facility at Great Ape Trust required extensive customization. We’ve never done a facility like this before,” Stroh adds. “In fact, until now, no one in the world had developed a facility like this.”

Beyond the fact Wolin is accustomed to designing buildings for humans, not primates, perhaps the single biggest challenge for the company was one of logistics. The researchers’ desire for consistent, optimal temperatures and recirculation of indoor and outdoor air every six minutes, translated into multiple HVAC systems. That might not present enormous spacing challenges with your typical new building, but when everything has to be concealed – often in concrete – it changes the dynamics of the design. Ultimately, there is only so much room to conceal all of the pipes, ducts and wires in the 13,000-square-foot bonobo scientific research facility.

“Because the apes have extremely sensitive skin and chafe easily, the researchers wanted to replicate the atmosphere of a rain forest, so we integrated state-of-the-art humidification systems,” Stroh says. “The systems were challenging to fit into our space parameters, because we couldn’t have any of the equipment exposed.”

The equipment had to be concealed so the apes couldn’t hurt themselves on the equipment. On the reverse side, because the apes are so strong, the equipment could also easily be damaged.

“We focused on getting as much of the power systems and conduit embedded in concrete,” explains Thomas Mass. “The apes are very strong and can take apart anything.”

In addition to wires and other infrastructure, special lighting was also needed at the facility. First, the fixtures had to be mounted high enough so the apes could not reach them. Second, traditional fluorescent lighting has a cycle flicker that bothers the apes, so electronic T8 lighting was necessary.

With 50 lexigram boards, 49 cameras, plus digital recording devices, hard drives, security systems and other state-of-the-art equipment, designing the mechanical and electrical footprints in a way for all the elements to work together in one building was of critical importance.

Both Stroh and Mass attribute one element of this project that enabled it to be so successful, was that the design process never stopped – it continued to evolve. While that fact alone could cause frustrations, the Wolin team viewed it as an opportunity.

“When we were awarded the project contract, the apes were already coming,” Stroh says. “Ideally we would have liked more time to plan, but the accelerated design and build schedule meant all the partners had to move quickly.”

Overall, Wolin invested approximately 10 months in the actual construction phase – which Mass calls “very rapid.” “When it came to this project, there weren’t a lot of standard practices to put into action – simply because there is no other facility of this magnitude in the world.”

“The impact the research that is occurring at Great Ape Trust will have on the human race is unimaginable,” Stroh adds.

Since 1920, Wolin has provided excellence in mechanical and electrical systems for commercial and industrial use. The Wolin companies have complete in-house design capabilities, with more than 160 employees within these companies serving the Midwest from locations in Marshalltown and Des Moines. The company serves commercial, industrial and institutional clients in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota.

Great Ape Trust began as the Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary in early 2002. In June of 2003, work crews began developing the former sand and gravel quarry near the Des Moines River. Located about five miles southeast of downtown Des Moines on nearly 230 acres of lowlands, river forest and lakes, Great Ape Trust of Iowa will be largest great ape facility in North America and one of the first worldwide to include all four types of great ape – bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans – for noninvasive interdisciplinary studies of their cognitive and communicative capabilities.

Great Ape Trust is dedicated to providing sanctuary and an honorable life for great apes, studying the intelligence of great apes, advancing conservation of great apes and providing unique educational experiences about great apes. Great Ape Trust of Iowa is a 501© 3 not-for-profit organization and is certified by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). To learn more about Great Ape Trust of Iowa, go to www.GreatApeTrust.org.