Inside, the floor is heated and slightly padded -- the same type used for high-end horse barns. Outside, contractors will install 6 to 8 inches of crushed rock, the pieces too small to stick in their hooves but big enough to help wear them down.

“More thought went into this building than you can ever imagine,” said Ryan Gross, the zoo’s director of creative strategy.

The giraffe building, with an elevated feeding deck for zoo guests, is one of the three largest giraffe enclosures in the country, he said.

It’s the tallest part of the zoo’s $16 million makeover, which includes an indoor-outdoor Sumatran tiger exhibit, spider monkey habitat, education center and new entrance.

And it’s the first new building to welcome its new species. “There’s never been a giraffe and it’s the first thing to move into the biggest thing to hit the Lincoln child zoo in its 53-year history,” Chapo said.

The zoo is sending a team of four to escort the giraffe to her new home. They’re prepared for her to be a little reluctant.

“She’s leaving her old home, coming to a new home,” Chapo said. “Mom’s not going to be around. There’ll be some trepidation.”