Why do penguins struggle with modernist architecture?
An empty pool at London Zoo tells a wider story
![The Penguin Pond at London Zoo, 1960s](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240713_BRP509.jpg)
Set between the llamas and the Land of the Lions, the penguin pool in London Zoo is a mini-modernist masterpiece. Built in 1934 and designed by Berthold Lubetkin, it is sleek, swooshy and perfectly proportioned; its cantilevered concrete ramps, slender as apple peelings, were revolutionary. Its penguins looked less as though they were living in it than, as in an architect’s illustration, modelling for it. There was just one problem with this piece of modernist perfection. The penguins didn’t like it.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Penguins v modernism”
Britain July 20th 2024
- A crisis in prisons gives Britain’s new government its first test
- Why do penguins struggle with modernist architecture?
- The potential listing of Shein is a test of London’s allure
- Can Britain’s “mission-led” government defy gravity?
- Britain is a home but not a haven for Hong Kongers
- The secret to good government? Actually trying
More from Britain
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240831_BRP501.jpg)
Britain’s unusual stance on Chinese electric vehicles
Unlike America or Europe, Britain is welcoming the cheap cars—for now
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240824_BRP504.jpg)
A language guide for judges is a window into modern Britain
And into the mind of the judiciary
The trial of Lucy Letby has shocked British statisticians
And shown that many Britons are woefully ignorant of statistics
Britain’s government pulls the plug on a superfast computer
The decision is likely to hurt researchers and AI companies
Youth clubs in Britain have been vanishing
Their impact is hard to measure, but can be profound