The new 10,000 square foot, two-story building sits in the heart of the "Faces of the Rainforest" exhibit at The Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island.   Designed to replicate an Amazon Rainforest , it is the new home of flamingos, anteaters, tamarins, sloths, and monkeys as well as "residents" from other parts of the zoo and zoos around the country.

Filled with trees and vegetation indigenous to these animals, the new exhibit allows visitors to see the animals in their natural habitat.   Not only are the visuals similar to the Amazon, but the exhibit is  also intended to feel like the jungle with warm, humid air. 

The combination of the humidity inside the building and the New England weather outside would be extremely aggressive to most coatings.  Not to mention the toll the natural behaviors of the animals will take on the building. Due to these factors the architect specified hot-dip galvanized steel.  

However, just as important as protecting the structure, the architect also wanted to attract visitors  with a visually appealing design.  To amplify the aesthetics, the architect chose to specify a duplex system to ensure the steel components blended well with the colorful plants in the exhibit.  

The synergy of the hot-dip galvanizing and the epoxy/fluoropolymer system will not only provide the visual appeal the zoo wanted, but also a longer life for the structure. Using galvanizing as a "primer" means the paint system will require less maintenance over the life of the building and less disruption to its new residents.  Thanks to the  beauty and durability of the duplex system visitors and the animals will be able to enjoy this Amazon Jungle for years to come.