Client:
Wolverhampton City Council
Contractor:
Jack Moody (LCE) Limited
Project details:
The architecture at Dudley Zoo dates back to 1937 when the then owner, the third Earl of Dudley, chose a team of modernist architects to design the zoo. Using reinforced concrete the team created a revolutionary new design of building: Tectons. The structures have stood the test of time and seventy five years on Dudley Zoo has the world's largest single collection of Tecton buildings. The 12-strong group was granted World Monuments Fund status in 2009 and ranked alongside such iconic landmarks as Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal.
As part of a £46m redevelopment scheme in the Castle Hill area of Dudley, new road infrastructure has been created to improve access to the 200 hectare plot that is the home of Dudley Zoo, the Black Country Living Museum and Dudley Canal Trust. With one shared arrival point created for Dudley's top tourist attractions, the car park has undergone resurfacing work, extensive landscaping and planting, and even has five galvanised steel sculptures leading people into the zoo from the car park, including the giraffe pictured above.
Furnitubes' Marlborough benches were the perfect match for the new entrance to the zoo, installed in the area between the car park and visitor entrance, where a snake-form is depicted in the gravel paving for pedestrians and wheelchair users, highlighting the route with the shallowest slope. The unique organic design of the benches also perfectly complements the feature roof which consists of a series of S-shaped interlocking canopies.
Visit the Furnitubes International website for more information on Dudley Zoo