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New Urban Oasis Created At The Natural History Museum

  • dcb1960
  • 1 day ago
  • 2 min read

The previously underused 5-acre gardens around the Natural History Museum in London have been remarkably transformed in a scheme by architects Feilden Fowles. Working closely with landscape  architects J & L Gibbons, and a design team including Gitta Gschwendtner, engineers HRW and Max  Fordham, a new urban oasis has been created alongside a Nature Activity Centre supported by AWS  and Garden Kitchen café.


People working on laptops in a sunlit café with wooden interiors and large windows. Green plants add a fresh vibe. Serene atmosphere.

The project rejuvenates the grounds of this well-loved museum and creates  an immersive timeline of the evolution of the earth which is now fully accessible for the first time.  Geological eras are represented in banded strata of rock and the garden now features a full-size  bronze Diplodocus called Fern. The result is a tactile living laboratory called the Urban Nature Project.  

  

Children in blue uniforms sit at wooden desks in a classroom with natural light. One child points. A teacher observes. Calm, focused mood.

The Nature Activity Centre and Garden Kitchen blend in harmony with the green space and have  been designed in close association with the museum’s scientists with thought and care, using natural  materials with low embodied carbon. The frame is created from UK limestone under a Douglas fir roof  with cedar shingles. Douglas fir doors, windows and columns adorn the inside. Working with acoustic  consultants Max Fordham, Troldtekt wood wool acoustic panels have been utilised through the  ceilings to help combat reverberating sound and create a calm and welcoming atmosphere.  

  

Children in blue uniforms play and sit outside a wooden building surrounded by trees and grass. The setting feels peaceful and lively.

Troldtekt’s wood wool acoustic panels are Cradle to Cradle Certified® at Gold level and manufactured  using wood from certified forests (PEFC/09-31-030 and FSC®C115450), positively contributing to a  building’s BREEAM, WELL or LEED points. Panels can also be manufactured with FUTURECEM®  which achieves an approx. 30 per cent lower carbon footprint than that of Troldtekt based on white  cement. Depending on the panel specified, reaction to fire is classed in accordance with EN 13501 as  B-s1,d0 or A2-s1,d0 respectively.  

  

Children and adults in a well-lit room with wooden beams, working together at tables. Everyone is wearing blue uniforms, creating a focused mood.

Available in a wide variety of different structures and colours, they combine optimal sound absorption  with an award-winning design. The Troldtekt range has a minimum expected life cycle of 60 years  coupled with excellent resistance to humidity and tested to meet ball impact standards. Panels can be  supplied as natural wood, unpainted based on FUTURECEM™ offering a reduced carbon footprint or  finished in almost any RAL or NCS colour.   

   

Samples, case studies and technical guidance are available from www.troldtekt.co.uk or see our  product listings on NBS (https://bit.ly/3vxoTfq) or Material Bank (www.materialbank.eu). 

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