It’s official, Albuquerque has penguin fever. The City of Albuquerque and HB Construction broke ground Tuesday for the much-anticipated Penguin Chill, a BioPark exhibit years in the making.

Among those in attendance were city officials donning tuxedos and top hats, interested students from nearby Dolores Gonzales Elementary, and HB Construction staff, decked out in penguin ties and socks.

Mayor Richard Berry was enthusiastic about the new construction. He explained that the exhibit will have a “glass floor area where guests will be able to see penguins swimming underneath them.”

The 14,500 sq ft Penguin Chill Exhibit is a landmark exhibit for the BioPark. Designed by Van Gilbert Architects, it will feature a 75,500-gallon tank and multiple viewing levels.

“It’s a great project,” said HB Construction CEO Jason Harrington. “Taxpayers are investing their hard earned money into a quality of life facility. That says a lot about our citizens and the pride they take in their community.”

With completion slated for the Spring of 2018, Albuquerque residents will soon have a new reason to ‘chill’ at the zoo.