Reconstructing the Zoo
Intrigued by the uneasy dichotomy of the urban park typology, this is a speculative project which adopts and extends the mindset of an existing, conservative and inherently deceitful masterplan of a large, under-utilised urban park in Melbourne. This approach, combined with the rich histories and legacies of the site across a broad range of scales both temporal and physical, results in what may be viewed as a radical piece of urban apparatus. Part museum, part infrastructure (both internalised and inter-nodal), part open-range zoo and recreational facility, the project endeavours to retain and celebrate its many and contradictory qualities through ambiguity, artifice and appropriation.
Jury Comment
The written and graphic communication of the poetic narrative and theatricality of this project is well articulated and engaging. In particular, the ways in which the form captures the pre-existing zoo structures to challenge the notion of architecture as field versus object was particularly effective. However, a lack of clarity of the primary form and construction, particularly in the main section, were unconvincing but overall a very bold and thought-provoking scheme.
