Ken, out on a limb

Hi-Tech-tonics Backgrounds
Plate tectonic activity is the greatest geologic force shaping our planet's surface.

Hi-Tech-tonics is a response to these forces 'at work'. ‘HTt’ is comprised of an elite group of artists and craftsmen from the exhibit construction industry, influenced by the foremost designers and owners sanctioning the building of wildlife parks, aquaria and museums in this modern age. Our combined backgrounds in earth science, art and construction have enabled us to replicate Nature's beauty and diversity in a greatly compressed time frame. We pay particular attention to details, providing the necessary intricacies and customized elements that set our products apart on projects of this ‘nature’.

HTt draws upon decades of personal research and development and the production experience of the most prolific individuals with hands-on experience. We at HTt perpetually strive to achieve the utmost in realism, structural integrity, scientific accuracy and aesthetic appeal that has warranted our behind-the-scenery reputations for quality amongst discerning and prestigious clients on whose projects second-best just won't do. Our career-minded artists and craftsmen have created the environments that raised the standard for excellence over the last 20 years. From the 'Jungle World' interiors at the Bronx Zoo and the recently acclaimed 'Congo' enclosure to Seattle's 'Northern Trails', Portland's 'Stellar Cove' and Chicago's 'Shedd Aquarium', our artists have trained a generation of exhibit technicians and set up the fabrication facilities for in-house groups like the Wildlife Conservation Society and several of the major firms involved in exhibit work. Our environmental artistry can be viewed at many more public institutions like Cleveland's Metroparks Zoo (inside the Buckminster Fuller Dome), the Tennessee Aquarium, Disney and Universal theme parks, and facilities in over half the United States and abroad.
click here for a more complete chronology of past projects.

Elevation Changes
Raising the standard for ‘Natural Habitat’ construction with our innovative techniques in the past, our programs have set new precedents in quality and production levels to ensure that our clients achieve their highest goals efficiently and therefore economically.

There is no forest, mountain, or river that cannot be replicated using our team and techniques. HTt products can easily be configured to fortify and beautify existing escarpments, using ‘naturalistic’ sight and sound barriers for privacy, security and structural support. Wildlife containment, watershed management and erosion controls are effective using decorative scenic backdrops and nature facades replete with waterfalls and planters. We will transform or preserve any environment for the proliferation and enrichment of life, and HTt will provide the necessary detailing to bring the utmost realism, beauty and grace to the enclosures we create. Our substrates of earth, rock and reef, and our use of simulated tree, vine and root systems with our living ‘Greenwall’ construction can make ideal foundations to create sustainable ecosystems and habitats. Elevations change.

"Greenwall" Construction and Vertical Planting
Environments at aquariums, zoological parks and botanical gardens, are fabricated for the conservation, protection and propagation of our cherished and often endangered species of plants & wildlife and for our own education and appreciation as well. The more educated we are as stewards of this earth the more successful our preservation programs will be. There is very little native habitat (and in some cases none), left in the wild for many species. To survive extinction some can only exist in artificially created environments… for now. Institutions like these maximize the usefulness of their often limited space. Vertical "Greenwall" application increases surface square footage and allows a greater abundance and variety of vegetation to exist. With an increasing awareness of the plight of all living things in our changing world, the need for establishing more "Natural Habitat" environments to maximize the usefulness of our dwindling availability of arable land and water is imminent. As it is with bears and bats, we could all share the earth more amiably if there were a few more caverns to inhabit. HTt’s "Greenwall" construction, developed for the fern grotto in the "Congo" exhibit at the Bronx Zoo in NY, is the cutting edge in landscaping today. "Greenwall" construction opens up new and creative possibilities for designers and clients alike, who have a greater vision for a more resplendent world in which to live, work and play.

Hi-Tech-tonics Product Line
Our catalogue showroom is ‘Nature’ herself. No two ‘naturescapes’ will ever be identical. The methods of production and materials we use allow for much manipulating and interfacing with other trades. The constant change is a refreshing challenge to continually transform an ever wider spectrum of illusory experience for visitors and owners. Our product line includes rock formations of all types on any scale, trees ranging from the deserts to temperate and tropical rainforests, waterfalls, ponds, lakes, riverbeds and oceanic coral reefs. We create spacious caves both wet and dry with crystal and mineral deposits including limestone calcium carbonate formations. Spelunking is a way of life for many, and a way of making a living for others. Excavations in archeology and the many branches of science from anthropology to zoology provide us with the research necessary to harness a bit of nature for you. We produce fossil reproductions and rock art petroglyphs and pictographs, cave paintings as well as traditional murals. Replications of period architecture from Mesoamerican and European Gothic styles to the eastern traditions of India and the Orient are of particular interest to us. The Pre-Columbian dwellings and temples of the Anasazi, Mayan, Aztec and Inca civilizations in the 'New World' to the eastern architecture of the Buddhist and Hindu traditions, as well as cathedral building found in the classical traditions of Rheims and Notre Dame. Modern motifs and futuristic concepts, as unlimited as that which your imaginations and ours may construe, are not beyond our scope of possibilities. HTt leaves no stone unturned. Visit the Exhibition Center at the heart of The Cave to select views from amidst the environments our artists and craftsman have furnished in the past.

The Making of a Continent - A Plate of Plenty
We can provide an endless array of custom creations for all your environmental needs, from concept to completion. Choose the conservation program that suits your nature. Whether you desire tropical, temperate, arctic or slightly arid conditions, we can fashion your terrain to reflect your wild side and special interests.

{In wildness is the preservation of the world" – HD Thoreau}.

The building blocks of our world's playgrounds and nature preserves utilize reinforced concrete and steel with color, fiber, waterproofing and a few compounds to provide resilience and longevity. It can pile up to great heights when we're careful. Finished surfaces of carved and colored plaster are used for naturalistic rockwork, earth-banks and architectural façades. Fiberglass, epoxy, rubber, and urethanes are used for our lightweight applications. ‘Special formulas’ often make the difference in aesthetic perception and authenticity.

Consider us for use on your next architectural landscaping endeavor. We’ll bring a ‘Plate of Plenty’ to the table with us, serving the finest cliffs, caves and catacombs available today! Working to enhance the wildlife sanctuaries of the world, as well as embellishing the environments for the more-or-less ‘civilized sector’ at hotels, community centers, educational institutions, theme parks and private residences, HTt endeavors to bring the finest exhibit construction to every arena.

Remember, ‘Hi-Tech-tonics’ is the greatest geologic force shaping our world today.