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Natural History Museum

Reimagining urban green spaces

Revitalising urban nature at the Natural History Museum

Street view of the Natural History Museum from a newly landscaped area of the property

Key takeaways

2.7B

years of history showcased

5M

visitors to the museum annually

5

acres of biologically diverse green space

  • Five acres of outdoor space were reimagined into beautiful and educational living galleries, enhancing the Natural History Museum's appeal and accessibility. 
  • The gardens provide vital data collection opportunities for scientific research into urban nature, helping to develop solutions for nature recovery in urban areas. 
  • Created an accessible hub of biodiversity, featuring the Nature Discovery Garden and Evolution Garden, which educate visitors on Earth's history and local wildlife.

The Natural History Museum’s Urban Nature Project is a programme of work across the UK that was created in response to the increasing pressures of urbanisation, climate change and biodiversity loss on people and planet. As part of the programme, five acres of outdoor space have been transformed and reimagined into beautiful and educational outdoor living galleries. 

The gardens tell the story of change on our planet over more than 2.7 billion years, as well as providing a space for visitors and scientists alike to find out more about the extraordinary wildlife on our doorsteps today. Vital to key scientific research into urban nature, the gardens will be used for data collection to help explore science-lead solutions that will support nature recovery in our towns and cities. The unveiling of a life size bronze Diplodocus cast Fern, supported by Kusuma Trust, marked the garden’s opening in 2024. 

The Natural History Museum started developing the Urban Nature Project in 2017, with Mace joining the project in 2019 to provide project management and responsible business consultancy. With the project steeped in unique and complex challenges, we worked with the client through a modified two-stage traditional procurement approach to see the project through to completion. As part of this, we prioritised essential elements and de-risked the design. 

As a result of our work together the vision for the transformation of the Museum’s gardens has been maintained throughout delivery. The outdoor space has now become an accessible hub of biodiversity that allows nature to flourish in two gardens – the Nature Discovery Garden supported by the Cadogan Charity, and the Evolution Garden – housing an impressively rich variety of wildlife. 

Photos: © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London