Coffey Architects have designed the Dana Research Centre and Library with a perforated facade to London’s Science Museum, as part of a major redevelopment that will also include galleries by Muf, Wilkinson Eyre and Zaha Hadid.
The library occupies the lower two floors of the museum’s Wellcome Wolfson Building in South Kensington.The upper floor is covered by a perforated facade with thousands of tiny openings, which create a dappled light effect in the interior.
The architects designed the space to reference the story of scientist Isaac Newton, who is said to have first discovered gravity while sitting under the shade of an apple tree and witnessing fruit falling from its branches.”The dappled light effect was inspired by the contemplative conditions that might have been experienced by Isaac Newton while he sat under the apple tree,” said the design team. “This double-height canopy also filters sound, as well as views to the landscape outside.”
Inside the centre, timber-lined bookshelves, walls and desks contribute to a warm and light-filled setting. “The scheme itself is a simple idea to recreate the feeling of sitting under a tree, on a summer’s day, reading a book,The canopy creates light and acoustic conditions conducive for study, as well as offering a unique space with a strong identity to be enjoyed by both casual and academic users.”
The Research Centre and Library provides access to over 500,000 documents for researchers, staff and the public.The Dana Research Centre and Library occupies the lower two floors of the museum’s Wellcome Wolfson Building in South Kensington.The upper floor is covered by a white screen with thousands of tiny openings, which create a dappled lighting effect for the interior.
“This fantastic new centre offers free public access to world-class library and archive collections for science and engineering, as well as providing flexible space for the museum’s doctoral candidates and researchers to work alongside our amazing collection on a day to day basis,” said Nick Wyatt, who is head of the museum’s library and archives.
