Carousel ADA Ramp
Hand carved in the early 1800’s and entering operation in 1904, Woodland Park Zoo’s carousel is one of 3 still functional and serves over 52,000 riders annually. As part of the Zoo’s commitment to accessibility, offering ramp access to the carousel for disabled users was an organizational priority. The ramp must be operated by a single staff member and meet modern ride-safety standards and ADA guidelines.
Over 3 months, I designed and engineered of the ramp, created production files and sourced materials/vendors for parts manufacturing. I also lead the fabrication, on-site installation and testing of the final product.
We studied ADA grade requirements, user flow patterns, and the layout of the building to optimize size and placement of the 40ft curved ramp.
As modifications or damage to the historic carousel were not an option, a deployable drawbridge with integrated safety cut-off switch was engineered to get riders from the top of the ramp to the deck of the carousel.
Research & Development
I studied ADA grade requirements, user flow patterns, and the layout of the building to optimize size and placement of the 40ft curved ramp.
As modifications or damage to the historic carousel were not an option, a deployable drawbridge with integrated safety cut-off switch was engineered to get riders from the top of the ramp to the deck of the carousel.
Remote Assembly
The carousel is an important revenue generator for the zoo. To limit shutdown time during installation, we designed the ramp to be fabricated off-site from 6 aluminum spaceframe segments which could be moved into place by hand.
Components were CNC cut and bent, before being shipped to the zoo’s metal shop for assembly.
Rapid Installation
Once assembled, the segments were transported to the carousel building and bolted together. The integrated cut-off switch was wired, sound deadening was installed and the non-slip FRP walking surfaces were slotted into place.
“This is the Cadillac of ramps. No one else has one anywhere near as good.”
