Part of the 'Speed-Dating Cities' series.
I don't have that much connection with my distant Aunt Adelaide, but my parents have been nagging me for ages to go out with her for "just a meal", they say.
"She's changed!" My mum vehemently declares.
"In what way?" I venture...
"She's had some work done on her recently... you won't be embarrassed to be seen with her in public." My sister adds helpfully.
"Take one for the team," my dad says, finally. I roll my eyes, so the real story here is that no one wants to go out with Aunt Adelaide, and I'm the sucker with my hand still up.
What my sister 'neglected' to tell me was that the work Adelaide had done was on her zoo. I'm sorry, if your zoo is sweeping up all the architectural awards in your city, there is a huge problem with the architectural work you're encouraging. Sure, they might have an architectural visionary as patron of zoo-keeping, but that's no excuse. Trying to make yourself beautiful via your zoo is just like.... rhino-plasty... you're not doing it for Adelaide, you're doing it to panda to others (sorry - yes, those puns were bad).
Still, the architectural intervention is probably my favourite in Adelaide - particularly the Entry Precinct and the Panda enclosure. Hassell did an absolutely breathtaking job in contributing to this emergent trend of Australian Architects producing gripping urban spaces for zoos (Think Werribee Free Range Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary etc). It's almost as if architects here are only able to successfully think about the interaction of landscape - as habitat for the host city and guesting animals; as places of respite, recreation and reproduction - and how a building touches this manufactured environmental 'truce' when they're having a knee-jerk reaction to having to justify or prove that they're competent in giving animals a home away from home. And they do a damn good job at convincing themselves and others. Sad, but true. And if only they would apply it to the actual city itself.
Oh Aunt Adelaide, you're almost hot enough for me to introduce to my single mates.
Almost.
Pictures sourced from here, here, here, here, and here.
A really good example of the success our architects are having in this area is Iredale Pedersen Hook's Orangutan Enclosure in Perth. I could go into details about how the poles are recycled concrete posts provided by Western Power, and how the shape of the roof forms came out of Finn Pedersen's little half-sober play with a paper coaster... but anyone visiting would see the successful interaction of animal in play with its adoptive home.
Pictures sourced from here.
I don't have that much connection with my distant Aunt Adelaide, but my parents have been nagging me for ages to go out with her for "just a meal", they say.
"She's changed!" My mum vehemently declares.
"In what way?" I venture...
"She's had some work done on her recently... you won't be embarrassed to be seen with her in public." My sister adds helpfully.
"Take one for the team," my dad says, finally. I roll my eyes, so the real story here is that no one wants to go out with Aunt Adelaide, and I'm the sucker with my hand still up.
What my sister 'neglected' to tell me was that the work Adelaide had done was on her zoo. I'm sorry, if your zoo is sweeping up all the architectural awards in your city, there is a huge problem with the architectural work you're encouraging. Sure, they might have an architectural visionary as patron of zoo-keeping, but that's no excuse. Trying to make yourself beautiful via your zoo is just like.... rhino-plasty... you're not doing it for Adelaide, you're doing it to panda to others (sorry - yes, those puns were bad).
Still, the architectural intervention is probably my favourite in Adelaide - particularly the Entry Precinct and the Panda enclosure. Hassell did an absolutely breathtaking job in contributing to this emergent trend of Australian Architects producing gripping urban spaces for zoos (Think Werribee Free Range Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary etc). It's almost as if architects here are only able to successfully think about the interaction of landscape - as habitat for the host city and guesting animals; as places of respite, recreation and reproduction - and how a building touches this manufactured environmental 'truce' when they're having a knee-jerk reaction to having to justify or prove that they're competent in giving animals a home away from home. And they do a damn good job at convincing themselves and others. Sad, but true. And if only they would apply it to the actual city itself.
Oh Aunt Adelaide, you're almost hot enough for me to introduce to my single mates.
Almost.
Pictures sourced from here, here, here, here, and here.
A really good example of the success our architects are having in this area is Iredale Pedersen Hook's Orangutan Enclosure in Perth. I could go into details about how the poles are recycled concrete posts provided by Western Power, and how the shape of the roof forms came out of Finn Pedersen's little half-sober play with a paper coaster... but anyone visiting would see the successful interaction of animal in play with its adoptive home.
Pictures sourced from here.
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