The Urban Nature Project reimagines the Natural History Museum’s 5-acre gardens to increase biodiversity, accessibility, scientific research and best practice outdoor nature-learning all year round. It has been designed as a response to the urgent need to monitor and record changes to the United Kingdom’s urban nature and to develop skills to study in this field, as part of a national drive to re-engage people with the natural world and urban wildlife. The project transforms an underused garden into an urban oasis, creating significant new areas of habitat and biodiversity, re-presenting the grounds as a living laboratory.

The gardens are arranged thematically into two areas. In the east, the Evolution Garden is a journey through Deep Time to the present day, where visitors can learn about 2.7 billion years of history of our planet. This captivating story is told through an immersive timeline of plants, rocks of different geological periods from across the UK, and representations of reptiles, birds, dinosaurs and mammals. The garden also features a full-size bronze replica of the Museum’s iconic Diplodocus specimen, now called Fern, and the Garden Kitchen.

In the west, the Nature Discovery Garden supported by The Cadogan Charity, extends and enhances a multitude of habitat areas including woodland, grassland and wetlands. It explores approaches to climate adaptation set within an urban forest of the future. Embedded within the landscape is the Nature Activity Centre, supported by Amazon Web Services, providing classrooms, storage, and outdoor learning.

Rowan Moore (The Observer, 2024) described the gardens as, “also a city park, a nice place to sit and stroll… a romantic landscape in which… you can feel removed from the city around. It’s hard to want more from a single project than this one gives”. It is a transformation of urban space for increased biodiversity, urban cooling, recreational and wellbeing benefits while ebable scientific research to develop a love for nature and inspire a new generation of naturalists.

The Museum’s strategy in response to the planetary emergency focusses on environmental initiatives to engage the public with issues of climate instability and biodiversity loss. This is reflected in the design, which is considered, forward-thinking, and ecologically driven. Locally sourcing natural stone with low-embodied carbon was very important to meet sustainability targets, and this challenge also presented a wonderful opportunity to showcase the amazing breadth of geology found across the United Kingdom.

This transformation set out to create a sense of wonder, enable visitors to absorb themselves within the narratives of Deep Time, and journey towards the present day and into the future while learning about the incredible diversity of life on Earth. The design is also scientifically robust. The entire Evolution Garden is scaled to the Phanerozoic Eon, with 1 metre representing 5 million years. The Nature Discovery Garden explores ‘future nature’ through pioneer species, exhibiting approaches to climate adaption, resilient communities, water sensitive design, and promoting improved biodiversity within our cities. All with integrated interpretation to bring delight to learning embedded in landscape features.

The project focusses on engaging diverse audiences that are least likely or able to access nature. The aim is to help people from a lifelong connection with the natural world, learn about its value and inform and empower people to understand and protect it. This includes increasing volunteer opportunities threefold via an outreach programme to neighbouring and diverse boroughs. Since reopening the gardens have seen a marked increase in the number of visitors, peaking at over 28,000 a day.

The Natural History Museum’s Urban Nature Project creates a critical urban nature movement through a UK-wide learning programme for young people, families and schools. The project develops and delivers online and onsite, and through national monitoring programmes, the onsite Nature Activity Centre, a range of citizen science programmes and a scientific ‘living lab’ where the Museum’s scientists deliver cutting edge research to be shared globally.

Credits:
Landscape Architect: J&L Gibbons
Architect: Feilden Fowles
Client: Natural History Museum
3D Design – Gitta Gschwendtner
Structural Engineer – engineersHRW
Civil Engineering – Infrastruct OS
M&E, Lighting and Acoustic Engineers – Max Fordham
Principal contractor – Walter Lilly
Project management – Mace
Quantity Surveyor – Mace
Sustainability Consultant – Mace
Planning Consultant – Deloitte
Heritage Consultant – Purcell
Access Consultant – Earnescliffe
Specialist Planting Consultants – Fossil Plants
Soil Scientist – Tim O’Hare Associates
Structural Engineer (Fern) – Structure Workshop
Artist/Fabricators (Fern) – Factum Arte

51.49577209190859, -0.1763471940658492