Rockville Firm Builds Home for National Zoo's Sea Lions

A Rockville-based company played a major role in creating part of a new National Zoo exhibit that is creating buzz around Washington.

Rockville-based recently completed construction of the state-of-the-art Seal and Sea Lion Exhibit, which is part of the new $42 million American Trail at The Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

The exhibit opened to the public on Sept. 1.

Forrester Construction’s work included the demolition of the original seal and sea lion facility and the construction of the new Seal and Sea Lion Exhibit.

The exhibit recreated the North Pacific Coast “using innovative concrete forming and placement techniques, simulated tide pools and wave machines,” according to a news release on the company’s website.

“Four California sea lions now live and play in a 300,000-gallon pool, while a gray seal, with three more arriving in late fall, frolics in a 125,000-gallon pool,” the news release said.

Forrester worked closely with architectural firm Quinn Evans and Smithsonian Institution officials to develop the two-acre facility, which provides better standards of care for the exhibit's animals. It also enhances the experience for zoo visitors with above- and below-water acrylic glass windows and an amphitheater.

“This has been a tremendous project in many ways, not only because of its positive impact on the well-being of the animals and marine life, but also in its ability to give spectators a close and personal look at how they live,” Scott Forester, executive vice president of Forrester Construction Company said in a news release.

The trail “brings together several beloved North American species, including California sea lions, gray seals, gray wolves, ravens, pelicans, river otters, beavers and an American bald eagle,” The Washington Post reported. “It is a combination not often seen at zoos. Many of the species have rebounded after their numbers dwindled, and zoo officials hope the exhibit will help convey a conservation message to their 2 million annual visitors.”

Click here to view a photo gallery from The Washington Post featuring the new exhibit’s inhabitants.