AQUATERRARI FOR THE NEW BARCELONA ZOO | Reptile and Amphibian Exhibit for the Barcelona Zoo | 100% SD, Unbuilt | 2000

Size: 54,000 S.F. | Budget: $15M Euros | Client: Barcelona Regional SL. |

Project Brief: The Aquaterrari for the New Barcelona Zoo is part of the project to finish the urban plan that Barcelona started with the Olympic Games of 1992. The zoo belongs to the Forum of Cultures 2004 development, which features projects from Herzog + De Meuron, Elias Torres y Martinez Lapena and MVRDV, the latter is part of the zoo project.

The structure is made of a series of 54 parallel foundation walls that carry utilities, condition the ground and facilitate grading as a way to join exhibits that need changing square footage, not unlike a farming system. The foundation walls are bridged through an axial circulation platform that facilitates viewing and provides entry into the concrete 'tongues' that contain the smaller, darker exhibits as well as the ramps to access the underwater displays.

Project Team: Juan Azulay, Roger Paez i Blanch, Carles Muro and Charmain Lay - Principals | Juanca, Indi, AKB - Project Team.