Animal Architectue

We were intrigued by the idea of architects designing not for humans, but rather for animals. While looking deeper into this idea, we came across a recent international design competition, ARC, or Animal Road Crossing. This competition called for a crossing that would keep wildlife off of the busy highway Interstate 70 near Vail, Colorado, and “allowing them safe and poetic access to their habitats.”¹ The ARC competition “seeks innovation in feasible, buildable, context-sensitive and compelling design solutions for safe, efficient, cost-effective, and ecologically responsive highway crossings for wildlife.”² By keeping animals off of the roads, the animals, and the people using the highways would both be in less danger of a collision.

The winning design by MVVA, led by landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh and HNTB produced a design of “a crossing that merges seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.”³ The design uses reflective paint to illuminate the structure when cars pass, instead of lights that would interfere, or confuse the animals in the area. The structure as a whole is a “wide, continuous beam without any joints”⁴ which aids to the idea of a seamless connection between the crossing and the landscape around it. It also features “laminated wood from trees killed by beetles,”⁵ allowing for a more environmentally friendly construction as no new trees needed to be cut down.

Bridges of this sort have been used in Banff National park for over 25 years, and has allowed for the safe crossing of thousands of animals. Parks Canada has also expressed an interest in the submitted designs for new crossings over the Trans-Canada Highway.⁶

“The ARC competition pushes us to think about the power of architecture to offset the invasion of roads into epic landscapes – infrastructure gently aligned with nature, something that benefits humans and their fellow animals.”⁷

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1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Rochon, Lisa. "Across the Great Divide." The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/lisa-rochon/design-helps-animals-and-traffic-co-exist/article1886390/singlepage/#articlecontent (accessed October 28, 2011).

2 "Competition Brief." ARC Competition. www.arc-competition.com/files/ARC_Brief.pdf (accessed October 28, 2011).

Image Source: Rochon, Lisa. "Across the Great Divide." The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/lisa-rochon/design-helps-animals-and-traffic-co-exist/article1886390/singlepage/#articlecontent (accessed October 28, 2011).