The Flock Shelter is an architecturally designed public sculpture set within a natural amphitheatre and native forest in a semi-remote pocket of the Adelaide Park Lands known as Narnungga which translates to native pine place. Skein’s role was to deliver a shelter that responded to an industrial site reclamation masterplan.
Photos: Sam Noonan
The proposal aimed to leverage off of the notion of ‘festival’ by creating a dynamic and flexible shelter and event space that would enliven an under-utilised section of the Park Lands. The form draws upon bee flight paths mapped using harmonic radar technology and offers weather protection, underpinned by durability, passive surveillance, and sculptural wonderment. The fully welded structure was optimised using scripting software and structural efficiencies, ensuring a consistent material element in weathering plate steel. The patina of the Flock Shelter alters throughout the year in response to the diurnal nature of the park and the seasons.
Architecture: Skein
Engineering: Arup
Construction: Secon Constructions