As a follow up to our recent post on the recent win by Boltshauser Architekten for their Basel Aquarium design in Switzerland, we wanted to share with you the other entries by Zaha Hadid Architects, David Chipperfield Architects and Caruso St John Architects. Zaha Hadid’s ‘Blue Cave,’ while praised for its excellent quality, was criticised for its thin visitor aisles; the jury felt the “dynamic” styling of the building’s interior would have been in competition with the aquariums, and so the project came in third out of the 15 shortlisted entries. More information and images on the other entries, after the break.
The anonymous competition was organized by Basel Zoo. 55 teams of architects, aquarium designers and general planners submitted their applications. Of these 15 teams were then chosen to prepare a project proposal for the Ozeanium. In the end, “…the restrained architectural language chosen by the winning project ‘Seacliff’ was the best match for the public image cultivated by Basel Zoo. Under this proposal the above-ground building space on the Heuwaage site is smaller than for other competition entries, thus also offering the best solution from an urban development perspective.”
Courtesy of bdonline.co.uk
