The Natural History Museum, London

Location: Natural History Museum, London

Architect: Anna Maria Indrio, C.F. Møller

Close up of Armourcoat Armuralia polished plaster finish - 01

Polished Plaster Signature Range Armuralia

Natural White

A Monumental Cocoon: A New Architectural Icon

A new architectural icon for the capital, this extraordinary design features a vast, free-standing structure within a glass atrium, taking the form of a monumental cocoon—breathtaking in its originality and creative brilliance. The groundbreaking eight-storey-high Darwin Cocoon houses a unique collection of 17 million insects and 3 million plants, gathered over the last 300 years by renowned scientists including Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Sir Hans Sloane. This awe-inspiring building completes the Museum’s life science complex, the Darwin Centre, following the completion of the first phase in 2002.

Natural Elegance and Innovation

The response of the architectural design team at C.F. Møller, led by partner Anna Maria Indrio, was to create an engaging form inspired by the organic elegance of nature. The surface and texture needed to embody this essence, and so the subtle sheen of ivory-coloured Armuralia was selected. The Polished Plaster’s delicate surface, with its intersecting network of ‘silk threads’ criss-crossing the cocoon, offers both movement and a visual framework for the structure’s openings and niches.

Armourcoat was specified to deliver a unique solution that combined both insulation and the final decorative layer. The cocoon performs a crucial protective role, providing thermal mass to regulate internal temperature fluctuations—vital for preserving the museum’s precious specimens. In addition, the structure houses cutting-edge laboratories for 250 international scientists and features an interactive exhibition for visitors.