Because Stories About Peguins Are Always Funny

Yet another modern fancy building is having scorn poured on it by the people who have to live with it, in this case Esplanade House in the seaside town of Porthcawl. I dunno, looks like quite a fun building to me from the pic with the Guardian article, I point this out though because the article has five other examples of architects building what they want rather than what was needed which includes this one:

Penguin Pool, London Zoo

Originally from Georgia, Berthold Lubetkin came to the UK in 1931, and is best known for his elegant, spiraling concrete ramps at London Zoo. The pool is an icon of 1930s British modernism. Nobody thought to ask the penguins, though, who might have pointed out that the pool was too shallow, the concrete gave them aching joints and there was nowhere for them to conduct their courtship rituals. In 2004, the penguins were moved to another pool nearby, and are flourishing.

Well, it made me giggle, anyway...

Strangely, this page from a site claiming that it is about "people enjoy buildings worldwide" doesn't mention any movement of penguins stating instead:

This building cleverly combines practical considerations, such as a shaded area for the penguins and gently sloping access to the pool, with a powerful aesthetic statement of form and line.