Towers and Tectons
Reinforcing a vision
Dudley Zoo is home to the world’s largest collection of Tecton buildings.
The structures are recognised as of international architectural importance
with the World Monuments Fund placing the 12 iconic listed buildings on a
global list of constructions in need of protection.
Dudley Zoo was described as 'the most modern in Europe, a zoo without
bars' when it opened to the public in May 1937. It was constructed on 30
acres of a 200-acre mainly wooded site, owned by the Earl of Dudley,
which included the 11th century Dudley Castle.
The architects chosen to design the zoo were renowned Modernists, calling
themselves The Tecton Group, led by Russian-born Berthold Lubetkin.
Lubetkin was widely recognised as one of the most outstanding architects in
England in the 1930s. A pioneer of the English Modern Movement, he went
on to receive the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture.
They Tecton Group viewed the zoo as a microcosm of society, and aimed to
protect the welfare of the animals while meeting visitors' demands for a clear
view from a safe position.
Using reinforced concrete Lubetkin’s team created a revolutionary new
design of building.The design for Dudley Zoo was structurally daring and
made use of pre-stressed concrete. Reinforced with steel rods inserted
under tensions, the concrete could be bent into curves and forms impossible
to achieve with other materials.
Eye-catching curving lines and projecting floors could be constructed which
did not resemble any previous architectural style. Lines were kept simple,
and standardised free-curved forms were used in various combinations to
give the buildings both uniformity and contrast.
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Towers and Tectons at DZG:
