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| London Zoo's new Tiger Territory: built for the animals first, and visitors second | London Zoo's new Tiger Territory: built for the animals first, and visitors second |
| (6 months later) | |
| "We have tried our best to fade into the background," says Michael Kozdon, architect of the new £3.6m Tiger Territory at London Zoo. It's not often you hear an architect say that, but then it's not often you have a pair of endangered Sumatran tigers as clients, either. Jae Jae, for example, likes to have generous amounts of Old Spice sprayed around his enclosure (that's males for you). "In the past," continues Kozdon, "animal enclosures were all about creating an iconic architectural statement. Now the emphasis is on animal welfare, on bringing visitors as close to the creatures as possible. Our aim is to disappear." | "We have tried our best to fade into the background," says Michael Kozdon, architect of the new £3.6m Tiger Territory at London Zoo. It's not often you hear an architect say that, but then it's not often you have a pair of endangered Sumatran tigers as clients, either. Jae Jae, for example, likes to have generous amounts of Old Spice sprayed around his enclosure (that's males for you). "In the past," continues Kozdon, "animal enclosures were all about creating an iconic architectural statement. Now the emphasis is on animal welfare, on bringing visitors as close to the creatures as possible. Our aim is to disappear." |
| This explains why, rather than being held in by a roof, Jae Jae and his partner, Melati, have a fine net canopy stretching above their heads – even though its silken threads are made of 3mm steel cable (tigers are capable of jumping 5m from a standing start). Stretched into tensile peaks and troughs by four black metal poles (the tallest of which rises to 20m), the canopy soars above the treetops of Regent's Park like a giant spider's web. | This explains why, rather than being held in by a roof, Jae Jae and his partner, Melati, have a fine net canopy stretching above their heads – even though its silken threads are made of 3mm steel cable (tigers are capable of jumping 5m from a standing start). Stretched into tensile peaks and troughs by four black metal poles (the tallest of which rises to 20m), the canopy soars above the treetops of Regent's Park like a giant spider's web. |
| The enclosure's sinuous silhouette echoes the pinkish peaks of its neighbour, the Mappin Terraces, a manmade range of rocky mountains that have long poked their summits above the trees, bringing a surreal air to this strange corner of the park. Built in 1914, this elevated landscape was the result of a clause governing the zoo's expansion: an additional landgrab of four acres would only be allowed if the animals they housed could be visible from the rest of the park. Sadly, this sheer geological formation, erupting above the neat neoclassical terraces of NW1, has been barren since 1985, when Pipaluk (the last of the polar bears, whose name means Little One in Inuit) was finally moved out after 18 years. | The enclosure's sinuous silhouette echoes the pinkish peaks of its neighbour, the Mappin Terraces, a manmade range of rocky mountains that have long poked their summits above the trees, bringing a surreal air to this strange corner of the park. Built in 1914, this elevated landscape was the result of a clause governing the zoo's expansion: an additional landgrab of four acres would only be allowed if the animals they housed could be visible from the rest of the park. Sadly, this sheer geological formation, erupting above the neat neoclassical terraces of NW1, has been barren since 1985, when Pipaluk (the last of the polar bears, whose name means Little One in Inuit) was finally moved out after 18 years. |
| Now, thanks to the Tiger Territory, the skyline is populated once again – and it's not just the rest of the park that gets the good views. Covering 2,500sqm, the new enclosure boasts several mature plane trees, as well as tall wooden feeding poles fitted with pulleys that hoist big chunks of meat aloft. So, before they can sink their three-inch teeth into lunch, Jae Jae and Melati will first have to climb, which suits their predatory nature. | Now, thanks to the Tiger Territory, the skyline is populated once again – and it's not just the rest of the park that gets the good views. Covering 2,500sqm, the new enclosure boasts several mature plane trees, as well as tall wooden feeding poles fitted with pulleys that hoist big chunks of meat aloft. So, before they can sink their three-inch teeth into lunch, Jae Jae and Melati will first have to climb, which suits their predatory nature. |
| "Tigers are avid climbers," explains Robin Fitzgerald, the zoo's projects manager. "They like to observe their terrain from a towering vantage point, so we've given them a habitat that lets them do exactly that – with a view out over Regent's Park." Describing how the poles and canopy support each other, he adds: "It's basically circus tent technology." Neatly complying with the brief to all but vanish into thin air, this means there is no need for the extra steel structures that are so common in the zoo's other mesh enclosures – such as Cedric Price's famous Snowdon Aviary. Built in 1964, the aviary's dramatic steel skeleton mimics the angular geometry of a bird's wing. | "Tigers are avid climbers," explains Robin Fitzgerald, the zoo's projects manager. "They like to observe their terrain from a towering vantage point, so we've given them a habitat that lets them do exactly that – with a view out over Regent's Park." Describing how the poles and canopy support each other, he adds: "It's basically circus tent technology." Neatly complying with the brief to all but vanish into thin air, this means there is no need for the extra steel structures that are so common in the zoo's other mesh enclosures – such as Cedric Price's famous Snowdon Aviary. Built in 1964, the aviary's dramatic steel skeleton mimics the angular geometry of a bird's wing. |
| The Tiger Territory had other constraints to grapple with, most notably the fact that several existing buildings had to be incorporated into the redevelopment. With a limited area of 36 acres in one of London's most protected settings, the zoo is forced to modify what it has – in this case, a Victorian stork and ostrich house and a 1960s sea lion viewing platform, both of which had been off-limits to visitors for 30 years. | The Tiger Territory had other constraints to grapple with, most notably the fact that several existing buildings had to be incorporated into the redevelopment. With a limited area of 36 acres in one of London's most protected settings, the zoo is forced to modify what it has – in this case, a Victorian stork and ostrich house and a 1960s sea lion viewing platform, both of which had been off-limits to visitors for 30 years. |
| The ostrich house now provides a cosy den for the tigers, complete with heated rocks to soothe their weary muscles, while the sea lion stand has become an elevated viewing platform for visitors, with panoramic windows looking out across the Indonesian-inspired landscaping of the enclosure. From here, you can watch the tigers splashing about in their pool, or scaling the feeding poles to devour chicken wings and steak. | The ostrich house now provides a cosy den for the tigers, complete with heated rocks to soothe their weary muscles, while the sea lion stand has become an elevated viewing platform for visitors, with panoramic windows looking out across the Indonesian-inspired landscaping of the enclosure. From here, you can watch the tigers splashing about in their pool, or scaling the feeding poles to devour chicken wings and steak. |
| The new enclosure is five times larger than the previous one, which dated from the 1970s, and its design demonstrates a new emphasis on animal husbandry. The pairing of Jae Jae and Melati was meticulously planned using Studbook, which charts every captive creature's genetic provenance to facilitate perfect matches. "It's the online dating service for animals," says Fitzgerald. And if the hot rocks get them too frisky, the pair can be separated, along with any future cubs, into two different parts of the enclosure, connected by a glass door. | The new enclosure is five times larger than the previous one, which dated from the 1970s, and its design demonstrates a new emphasis on animal husbandry. The pairing of Jae Jae and Melati was meticulously planned using Studbook, which charts every captive creature's genetic provenance to facilitate perfect matches. "It's the online dating service for animals," says Fitzgerald. And if the hot rocks get them too frisky, the pair can be separated, along with any future cubs, into two different parts of the enclosure, connected by a glass door. |
| Such specifics are a far cry from many of the zoo's more famous structures, most of which have been concerned less with animal welfare than with exotic spectacle. Founded in 1828 as the world's first scientific zoological gardens, the site has become burdened by the weight of its own history. From the start, when it was laid out by Decimus Burton, the zoo employed architects of the highest calibre – leaving it with a legacy of 10 grade I and II listed buildings. But this heritage is a mixed blessing. | Such specifics are a far cry from many of the zoo's more famous structures, most of which have been concerned less with animal welfare than with exotic spectacle. Founded in 1828 as the world's first scientific zoological gardens, the site has become burdened by the weight of its own history. From the start, when it was laid out by Decimus Burton, the zoo employed architects of the highest calibre – leaving it with a legacy of 10 grade I and II listed buildings. But this heritage is a mixed blessing. |
| Perhaps the most famous structure, which visitors still ask for by name, is the 1934 penguin pool designed by Russian emigre Berthold Lubetkin; a sleek and slender double helix of ramping concrete floating above of a blue oval pool. Faces tend to fall when visitors find it empty – the bright white surfaces apparently damaged the penguins' eyes, and the concrete was too hard on their feet, so in 2004 they were relocated. (Don't blame the architect: Lubetkin had wanted rubber flooring, but was overruled by budget constraints.) Chinese alligators were the next to move in, but it didn't suit them either, so Lubetkin's modernist masterpiece now stands as an unused but still-loved relic of a bygone age. | Perhaps the most famous structure, which visitors still ask for by name, is the 1934 penguin pool designed by Russian emigre Berthold Lubetkin; a sleek and slender double helix of ramping concrete floating above of a blue oval pool. Faces tend to fall when visitors find it empty – the bright white surfaces apparently damaged the penguins' eyes, and the concrete was too hard on their feet, so in 2004 they were relocated. (Don't blame the architect: Lubetkin had wanted rubber flooring, but was overruled by budget constraints.) Chinese alligators were the next to move in, but it didn't suit them either, so Lubetkin's modernist masterpiece now stands as an unused but still-loved relic of a bygone age. |
| Next door to the Tiger Territory are the bulbous concrete flanks of the majestic elephant and rhinoceros pavilion, designed by Hugh Casson in 1965 to evoke a herd of elephants gathered around a watering hole, their huge rumps jostling for position. Topped with triangular rooflights intended to call to mind nodding heads and swinging trunks, the pavilion was commissioned "to display these massive animals in the most dramatic way". But a look inside is telling: the space for visitors far exceeds the narrow nooks created for the immense creatures, which were thankfully transferred to the more expansive landscapes of Whipsnade Zoo in 2001. The vast structure is now home to bearded pigs and pygmy hippos – tubby, low-slung creatures that seem out of place in the building's soaring, top-lit reaches. | Next door to the Tiger Territory are the bulbous concrete flanks of the majestic elephant and rhinoceros pavilion, designed by Hugh Casson in 1965 to evoke a herd of elephants gathered around a watering hole, their huge rumps jostling for position. Topped with triangular rooflights intended to call to mind nodding heads and swinging trunks, the pavilion was commissioned "to display these massive animals in the most dramatic way". But a look inside is telling: the space for visitors far exceeds the narrow nooks created for the immense creatures, which were thankfully transferred to the more expansive landscapes of Whipsnade Zoo in 2001. The vast structure is now home to bearded pigs and pygmy hippos – tubby, low-slung creatures that seem out of place in the building's soaring, top-lit reaches. |
| The unavoidable strategy of make-do-and-mend renders London Zoo an inevitably dated institution, laden with rigid monuments conceived in another era that it must now either work with or around. In fact, a wander through the zoo is as much an architectural safari as a wildlife one. Victorian kiosks jostle with mock-Tudor clocktowers; lichen-encrusted steel spaceframes cantilever out over brutalist concrete terraces. This all comes to a strange climax in the stripped classical facade of the 1920s aquarium, with its arched entranceway and symmetrical windows now squeezed beneath the colossal mock-rocks of what was once Bear Mountain – itself used to house tanks of water for the fish below. | The unavoidable strategy of make-do-and-mend renders London Zoo an inevitably dated institution, laden with rigid monuments conceived in another era that it must now either work with or around. In fact, a wander through the zoo is as much an architectural safari as a wildlife one. Victorian kiosks jostle with mock-Tudor clocktowers; lichen-encrusted steel spaceframes cantilever out over brutalist concrete terraces. This all comes to a strange climax in the stripped classical facade of the 1920s aquarium, with its arched entranceway and symmetrical windows now squeezed beneath the colossal mock-rocks of what was once Bear Mountain – itself used to house tanks of water for the fish below. |
| London Zoo is a fascinating piece of living heritage. But for those brought up on seeing animals in the wild – in the flesh, or mediated by David Attenborough – the image of an urban zoo, in which animals tramp forlorn circles in tatty enclosures, is increasingly hard to stomach. With its vastly increased area, near-invisible structure, and strategic reuse of what is already there, the Tiger Territory at least points a promising way forward. | London Zoo is a fascinating piece of living heritage. But for those brought up on seeing animals in the wild – in the flesh, or mediated by David Attenborough – the image of an urban zoo, in which animals tramp forlorn circles in tatty enclosures, is increasingly hard to stomach. With its vastly increased area, near-invisible structure, and strategic reuse of what is already there, the Tiger Territory at least points a promising way forward. |
| "The challenge is far greater than it used to be," says Kozdon. "Before, architecture led the way. Now the best situation would be to have no buildings at all." | "The challenge is far greater than it used to be," says Kozdon. "Before, architecture led the way. Now the best situation would be to have no buildings at all." |
| The clients | The clients |
| Jae Jae | Jae Jae |
| Born five years ago in San Francisco Zoo. Described as "charming with an outgoing personality", he's an adventurous vocal cat, often calling out across the enclosure to his mate. | Born five years ago in San Francisco Zoo. Described as "charming with an outgoing personality", he's an adventurous vocal cat, often calling out across the enclosure to his mate. |
| Melati | Melati |
| From Perth Zoo in Australia, the four-year-old female is described as "an intelligent cat – never jumping in paws first". She's flirty around Jae Jae, chuffing in his direction when she thinks the keepers can't hear her. | From Perth Zoo in Australia, the four-year-old female is described as "an intelligent cat – never jumping in paws first". She's flirty around Jae Jae, chuffing in his direction when she thinks the keepers can't hear her. |
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