C.F. Møller Architects
Darwin Centre
London, UK
Client
The Natural History Museum
Project Team
C.F. Møller Architects (Architect and Landscape Architect)
Structural Engineer
Arup
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer
Fulcrum Consulting
Main Contractor
BAM Construct UK
This extension to the Natural History Museum makes a dramatic contrast to the original terracotta construction of 1881. The basic form is a giant eight-storey-high concrete cocoon placed within a glass box.
The new building has been designed to provide a home for the museum’s unique collection of 17 million insect and three million plant specimens, and to provide a working area for taxonomic research. Visitors are able to take self-guided tours in and around the cocoon; this allows them to observe scientists at work in the research facility and to see the extent of the collections.
The cocoon is constructed of 300 to 425 mm (11 4⁄5 to 16 3⁄4 inch) thick sprayed-concrete walls, with a curved geometric form. The surface finish is ivory-coloured polished plaster, giving the resemblance to a silk cocoon; across the surface there is a series of expansion joints, which wrap around the form like silk threads. The thermal mass of the reinforced concrete shell aids the thermal stability, which in turn reduces the risk of pest infestations and minimizes energy usage.
The atrium space is dramatic, tall and filled with daylight, and creates a link that completes the western side of the Natural History Museum and clarifies the circulation patterns within the building. Because of the close proximity of the glass envelope to the concrete storage area, it is not possible see the form in its entirety from any one place, adding to the impression of monumentality and tension.
1 The intricate detail of Waterhouse’s terracotta facades contrast with the glazed skin of the Darwin Centre. The form of the cocoon can partially be seen.
2 When inside the surrounding space, it is difficult to get a sense of the cocoon’s size, as it cannot be seen in its entirety. The incised lines of the expansion joints describe the surface.
3 Laboratory spaces have large windows overlooking the cocoon. The public can look in and see what is happening as they visit the museum.
4 Within the cocoon, the exhibition areas explain how the collection is preserved and used for research.
Site Plan
1:5000
1 Waterhouse Building
2 Darwin Centre
03.02
Fifth Floor Plan
1:1000
1 Waterhouse Building
2 Public access areas
3 Collections
4 Laboratories
5 Darwin Phase 1
03.03
Principal Floor Plan
1:1000
1 Waterhouse Building
2 Public access areas
3 Collections
4 David Attenborough Studio
5 Spencer Gallery
6 Darwin Phase 1
03.04
Section B–B
1:500
1 Spencer gallery
2 Exhibitions
3 Collection
4 Work area
03.05
Section A–A
1:500
1 Waterhouse Building
2 Public area
3 Collections
4 Work area
5 David Attenborough Studio
6 Riser
7 Laboratories
8 Plant
9 Staff room
Construction Detail
Not to Scale
1 Cocoon doors
2 Bridge deck
3 Balustrade
4 Atrium: glazed screen
5 Lobby doors
6 Cocoon floor
7 Cocoon wall
8 Lobby floor
03.07
Double Curved Glazed Apertures Detail
1:20
1 Recessed fixings bolted to concrete shell concealed by plaster reveals
2 Concrete
3 Insulation
4 Polished plaster
5 Double curved glazed panels laminated and chemically toughened separately by hand
Typical Cocoon Internal Roof Detail 1
1:20
1 Control joint bead trim, double curvature, mechanically fixed
2 Concrete
3 Insulation
4 Polished plaster
5 Double-glazed rooflight
03.09
Typical Cocoon Internal Roof Detail 2
1:20
1 Control joint bead trim, double curvature, mechanically fixed
2 Concrete
3 Insulation
4 Polished plaster
5 Double-glazed rooflight
03.10
Detail
1:20
1 Reinforced concrete structural slab
2 Floor build-up: 50 mm (2 inch) screed, 160 mm (6 3/10 inch) lightweight reinforced concrete
3 Glazed lightning trench
4 Atrium floor: Portland stone 30 mm (1 1/5 inch) Whitbed limestone honed finish. Base: reinforced screed separating membrane, sand cement reinforced semi-dry bedding
5 Stainless-steel edge trim
6 Plaster bead / trim profile Flexi curve series divided into areas of 25 metre2 maximum (83 foot2). Maximum length 5 metre (16 foot 4 4/5 inch), mechanically fixed
7 Cocoon: Insulated render, polished plaster finish (superfine marble and lime stuccolustro) on a substrate of reinforced gypsum plaster. Insulation: 50 mm (2 inch) expanded polystyrene board
8 Insulation to basement
9 Compactor rail recessed within depth of screed
10 Cementitious board
03.11
Cocoon Wall Detail, Collections Area
1:20
1 Control joint bead trim
2 Concrete
3 Insulation
4 Polished plaster
5 Compactor rail recessed within depth of screed
03.12
Fixing Detail
1:5
1 Control joint bead trim, double curvature, mechanically fixed
2 Concrete
3 Insulation
4 Polished plaster