My vision for it is as a coffee-bar. Seats would be added by the walkways at the right level for a range of customers, particularly small children. Heavily penguin and Arctic themed. A small snow machine would supply a snow-bank, rather like a paddling pool. Charge for admission, beverage and bun for free. Queues round the block.
What a shame Lubetkin didn’t follow the example of the penguin pool at Edinburgh Zoo, whose birds appear very contented (and also seem to enjoy the attention they receive during their penguin parades).
This is so interesting about Lubetkin. I am glad that his notion of form was consistent, even if it implied more than a hint of the Victorian freak show. It occurs to me that the Penguin pool could be re-imagined today as an anti-colonial parody, with some penguins being chased around with hoses by dwarves attired in comical outfits? A Henry the Eighth with a plastic axe; a bearded Queen upon a palanquin jolted around by little porters dressed to represent various parts of the old empire? Except with footwear too large so that it causes them to stumble unpredictably and drop the Queen from time to time, and thereby provide a metaphor for the future of the monarchy? I, for one, would pay good money to the ZSL to see such a searing indictment of the UK's imperialistic shame.
It's brilliant: A design that didn't fly, for birds that can't.
Would it not be simpler in the long run for the government to prohibit architects from working?
My vision for it is as a coffee-bar. Seats would be added by the walkways at the right level for a range of customers, particularly small children. Heavily penguin and Arctic themed. A small snow machine would supply a snow-bank, rather like a paddling pool. Charge for admission, beverage and bun for free. Queues round the block.
What a shame Lubetkin didn’t follow the example of the penguin pool at Edinburgh Zoo, whose birds appear very contented (and also seem to enjoy the attention they receive during their penguin parades).
This is so interesting about Lubetkin. I am glad that his notion of form was consistent, even if it implied more than a hint of the Victorian freak show. It occurs to me that the Penguin pool could be re-imagined today as an anti-colonial parody, with some penguins being chased around with hoses by dwarves attired in comical outfits? A Henry the Eighth with a plastic axe; a bearded Queen upon a palanquin jolted around by little porters dressed to represent various parts of the old empire? Except with footwear too large so that it causes them to stumble unpredictably and drop the Queen from time to time, and thereby provide a metaphor for the future of the monarchy? I, for one, would pay good money to the ZSL to see such a searing indictment of the UK's imperialistic shame.
As a child I adored the Penguin Pool when it had real, live penguins in it and was taken aback to find the penguins were most uncomfortable there.
The RSPB had someone create a wonderful wall on the Dungeness site with holes to attract martens. Did it? Not one.