I don't believe I have ever posted this on this site but now seems like a good time to share it. Two years ago I drew up an electronic sketch on how I thought the renovations would look like when I was described them 2 years ago by Gorilla World docents. The construction plans for the new exhibit had not yet been released at the time of my drawing but a small rendering was in the already released master plan (bottom exhibit in the top photo). Based on the zoo's modern description, from how I comprehend it, the main layout will be similar to the one in the photo. Except the left habitat will be an indoor atrium, the right habitat will no longer have a moat, and somewhere along the right side as well will be an elevated viewing. What's also similar is that there will be colobus mixed with the gorillas in the atrium. The only inaccurate thing about the drawing based on size ratios, is that I gave the left habitat too wide of a space, as in the reality it would take up a few feet of the main zoo path.
Well based on the space, and knowing they like to build new exhibits within the same footprint of the old while retaining some of the current structure, this is the only option the zoo has. I've heard many docents discussing that the atrium will be set in the wooded area across from the main exhibit. Lastly if you noticed, the hippo plans were released in 2014 and there wasn't a single change to them. The only thing that may be changed is the added observation deck and I don't need to say why. The zoo does seem to have faith in their new gorilla/guest fencing along with the other open carnivore fencing around the zoo so it wouldn't surprise me at all if the zoo stuck with the plan on building it.
