(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZoo) is getting ready to turn 100 next year, but while the zoo looks back on a century of memories, it’s also looking ahead.

A major construction project is already in the works, including a new 12,000-square-foot giraffe barn, plus a brand new gift shop and cafe.

“You’ll be able to see all the animals while we’re doing construction, but we know it’s going to be a little louder than normal, a little more chaotic, which is why you’re seeing our billboards around town saying, don’t say we didn’t warn you,” Bob Chastain, President & CEO of CMZoo said.

CMZoo is famous for its beloved herd of giraffes, and soon, you’ll get to see them like never before.

“We’ve had 203 giraffe calves born at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, but it was just time for us to take a fresh look,” Chastain said.

At the new giraffe center, a spacious 12,000 square-foot barn is on the way, nearly tripling the number of giraffe feeding stations from four to 11. The barn will also feature a greenhouse-inspired roof, designed to support plant growth inside and give the giraffes a chance to experience the natural light cycles of the moon and sun.

“The idea of getting natural light into an animal exhibit where they can see the sun and the moon and the stars, they can go inside during rainstorms, during hailstorms, those sorts of things, and get protection was really important to us,” Chastain said.

Construction is also underway in the admissions plaza and along the zoo’s historic road, creating more photo opportunities for guests and improving accessibility for everyone.

“We did move the road up into the center of the zoo, allowing really your first hour of your visit to be almost completely road free,” Chastain said.

Constructing a state-of-the-art giraffe habitat and care center, along with a gift shop, cafe, and admissions plaza, on the side of the mountain is no easy task. But zoo leaders say this $40 million project wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of the community.

“Every dollar that the donor gives to us goes to these sorts of projects,” Chastain explained. “The other thing I think our guests can really be excited about, because we’re a non-profit, any time we have a surplus from the year, we reinvest back, and so, in many ways the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, through our visitors, have been one of the largest donors to this project that we’ve ever had in the history of the zoo.”