London Zoo opened for scientific study in 1828 and for public view in 1847. It has since become as much an exhibition of architecture as a collection of animals. The grounds were designed by Decimus Burton, the zoo’s architect from 1826 to 1841, and it now holds an impressive assortment of listed buildings by an eclectic mix of architects. The zoo is home to work by Sir Hugh Casson; John James Joass (who ran John Belcher’s practice after Belcher died in 1913); one of only three of Giles Gilbert Scott’s K3 telephone boxes in the UK ; the Lord Snowdon Aviary by Cedric Price and landmark buildings by
Tecton.
Tecton, founded by Russian emigre Berthold Lubetkin, is responsible for possibly the most famous building in the zoo – the Penguin Pool. Built in 1934 and now Grade-I listed, it is an exquisite example of modernist architecture. The building is characterised by two elegant sweeps of thin, unsupported concrete arranged in the shape of a double helix.
Alas, for all its architectural prominence and sculptural beauty, the failures of modernism also extend to the animal kingdom; the pool itself was too shallow for the penguins and the concrete damaged their feet. ‘The husbandry guidelines change every 20 years or so,’ says Robin Fitzgerald, construction manager at ZSL, who leads all building work at the zoo. ‘It got to the situation with the Lubetkin where we had to look elsewhere to accommodate the penguins. There was also the predatory danger from foxes, so, in 2004 we moved them to the old flamingo pool, which wasn’t ideal.’
This month sees the opening of the new £1.6m
Penguin Beach, which is four times bigger than the Lubetkin pool. ‘The design stems from the husbandry requirements,’ says Fitzgerald. ‘The existing pool is only half a metre deep, the new pool has an average depth of 1.5m.’ The new enclosure allows the penguins to ‘porpoise’ and provides a current for the animals to swim against.
Out of the water, the designers have provided two beaches, one for the Humboldt penguins, which prefer sandier beaches with burrows to nest in, the other for the macaroni penguins, which create dished nests in the rounded pebbles provided for them. Since the animals moved in, two pairs of birds have already nested and the zoo expects about 10 successful births a year. The exhibit currently houses 70 penguins but has room for about 150 at full capacity. The design also incorporates an incubation room for rearing baby penguins if they are rejected by their parents and a nursery pool for the penguins to become familiar with the water before being introduced to the main colony.
‘What we have created is teased out of the brief from the keepers. We get them to write out in layman’s terms what is needed to meet the husbandry requirements,’ says Fitzgerald. ‘We can then elaborate on this and find out what is needed technically. When they say rocks, we have to determine what type of rocks; when they say sand, we have to determine what type of sand.’
For the visitor, a stepped amphitheatre constructed from reclaimed materials, allows unobstructed views of the penguins at feeding times. Laminated glass at two of the pool’s edges and a porthole window hidden under a bridge give views into the water to see the animals below the surface. These details are what Fitzgerald calls ‘nice to haves’ – design features that appeal to the visitor and provide different views of the animals.
‘The zoo has a long-term policy of bringing down the bars and being close to the animals,’ he adds. Work on the Penguin Beach started in March 2010, the zoo architects had to work within the guidelines of the Regent’s Park Conservation Area and the conservation plan of the zoo. ‘In everything we do we have to balance the needs of the animals, the visitor, the planners and the cost,’ says Fitzgerald. The zoo does not receive any government funding and all its income is generated through gate receipts and donations.
The role of London Zoo has changed from one of spectacle to one of conservation, in terms of the animals at least. With regardto the buildings that are protected, there are still questions about the role they have. ‘The original penguin pool will become a water feature,’ says Fitzgerald. ‘Lubetkin’s Gorilla House is currently a holding area for lemurs, but it’s not ideal. We will eventually have to find other uses for all the listed buildings once we have exhausted the animal possibilities.’
