Description

In the summer of 1934, the London Zoo opened its new Penguin Pool. Designed by Berthold Lubetkinand the Tecton Company, in collaboration with Ove Arup, the elegant, interlocking concrete spiralramps on which the penguins "showcase their social talents" was met with universal acclaim.In the years since, the structure has been celebrated for its iconic architecture-and has justlybeen criticized for its inadequacy when it comes to housing penguins. The collective researchconducted in the framework of the Bauhaus Lab in 2023 critically reflects on the far-reachingconstellations, geographical imaginaries, design discourses and material entanglements of thismulti-species environment. Based on archival research and excursions, the publication unfoldsmultiple epistemologies of the Penguin Pool through a spectrum of theoretical, historical andcultural phenomena straddling the realms of architecture, historiography and more-than-humanentanglements, while at the same time proposing contemporary gestures of co-habitation.Regina Bittner (program director), Yujia Bian (artist), Daniella Camarena (architect), Sarah Kantrowitz(artist), Andrea Palásti (artist), Nicolás Penna (architectural historian), Julieta Pestarino (curator,researcher), Patricia Roig Canepa (curator).