From 18 July 2024 | South Kensington, LONDON
The five-acre green space around London’s Natural History Museum has been transformed by Architects Feilden Fowles in collaboration with landscape architects J & L Gibbons, into two gardens for visitors and research: the Nature Discovery Garden and the Evolution Garden.
The Evolution Garden presents a timeline of 2.7 billion years of Earth’s history through plants, rocks from different geological periods across the UK, and representations of reptiles, birds, and mammals.
The Nature Discovery Garden, with pathways winding around ponds, is a space for visitors and scientists to learn about urban wildlife. Frogs, newts, dragonflies, and mandarin ducks have already been spotted in the ponds.
The redevelopment focuses on sustainable design and construction, featuring a diesel-free site, zero waste to landfill, and rainwater harvesting for plants. The Museum’s Wildlife Garden has been expanded to double the native habitats and the pond area increased by 60%, enhancing support for animal and plant biodiversity.
Image of sunken walkway through the translocated pond in the Nature Discovery Garden – photo © Jim Stephenson / The Trustees of The Natural History Museum / Feilden Fowles. Natural History Museum
