Work has begun on the redevelopment of the Natural History Museum’s gardens as part of its Urban Nature Project. This is the first step in transforming the five-acre site into a free-to-visit green space in the heart of London.
Tom McCarter, Head of Natural History Museum Gardens, was joined by Dr Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum, as he worked to collect plants from the current ponds so that they can be replanted after the construction period.
Credit – The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
The designs include a new permanent structure in the east garden, the Garden Building. The proposal is for the Garden Building to have a dual function: as a cafe and as an evening function space. The Garden Building has been developed in close collaboration with an independent heritage consultant. It has been carefully designed to work sympathetically with the Grade I listed Waterhouse building and the more modern architectural style of the Palaeontology Building. Sustainability underpins the design, which incorporates rainwater capture, ground source heat pumps and more to minimise the carbon footprint throughout the lifetime of the building.
Elsewhere in the grounds, new outdoor galleries will tell the story of evolving life on Earth from 500 million years ago to the present day, following an immersive timeline of plants, trees, reptiles, birds and mammals. Visitors will come face to face with a giant bronze diplodocus immersed in a Jurassic landscape. Through the Urban Nature Project, the Museum’s existing Wildlife Garden will be extended to double the area of native habitats within the grounds, with the aim of better supporting, monitoring and managing the animal and plant life diversity. The gardens plan are due for completion in early 2024.