9.9.2010
Movie by Spirit of Space: South Pond, Chicago
El zoológico Lincoln Park de Chicago deseaba aumentar su visibilidad y a la vez mantener la imagen de una institución segura, limpia, ambientalmente responsable y comprometida con la educación. El diseño transforma un ruinoso parque urbano del siglo 19 con un estanque alimentado por agua corriente de la ciudad en un hábitat natural. Las mejoras incluyen la rehabilitación del estanque y del paisaje, las vías de acceso, los pabellones educativos y de exposición. Se profundiza el estanque para proporcionarle una mejor oxigenación a la vida acuática y para restablecer la cuenca alrededor de la laguna. Las plantas actúan como filtro para mejorar la calidad del agua corriente y crean zonas de hábitat para los animales. Dos pabellones integrados en el circuito dan cobijo a las aulas al aire libre. Sus estructuras, inspirada en el caparazón de las tortugas, son una serie de módulos interconectados pre-fabricados de madera que crean una superficie curvada libre de columnas.
Lincoln Park Zoo wished to increase its visibility by improving the South Pond and maintaining its image as a safe, clean, environmentally responsible institute that is committed to education.
The design transforms a dilapidated, 19th-century urban park pond fed by city tap water into a natural habitat and an exhibit on “pond life” for the zoo. Improvements include pond rehabilitation, landscape, accessible pathways, educational pavilions and exhibit design. The zoo’s image and mission are supported through the design’s integration of habitat and architecture.
The design called for deepening the pond to provide better oxygenation to support aquatic life and the reestablishment of the watershed around the pond. Plant shelves now filter run-off water to improve water quality and to create habitat zones for animals.
A boardwalk made of recycled plastic milk bottles circumscribes the pond and passes through different educational zones describing animals, plants and habitats. Two pavilions integrated into the boardwalk sequence provide shelter for open-air classrooms on the site. Their structures, inspired by the tortoise shell, consist of a series of pre-fabricated wooden members interconnected and milled to give global curvature to the surface, creating a column-free space for gathering.