Dudley Zoo Tectons

Below are some facts about Dudley Zoo and their Tecton enclosures:

·         Dudley Zoo first opened on May 18, 1937.

·         A reported 250,000 people attempted to visit the day it opened.

·          The preservation group The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has declared Dudley Zoos architecture an endangered heritage site.

·         The Zoo’s 12 animal display houses were the largest collection of Tecton buildings in the world.

·         Structures include: Tropical Birdhouse, Bear Ravine, Polar Bear Complex, Kiosks 1 and 2, Sealion Pool, Moat Cafe, Safari Cafe, Reptiliary, Elephant House, Zoo Entrance and Queen Mary Restaurant.

·         The Designs was structurally daring and made use of a new material, 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.

·         Lines were kept simple, and standardised free-curved forms were used.

·         The Tectons show imaginative use of the land and provide a unique development that complements the natural contours and quarried areas of the site.

(Tectons,Dudley Zoo, Website, Viewed 2/10/2012.http://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/around-dzg/tectons)

(BBC,Website, Viewed 10/10/2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2009/10/07/_feature.shtml

Article from BBC )