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 | | DARWIN CENTRE ‘COCOON’ - UNDER THE MICROSCOPE AT 100% DESIGN | | | Armourcoat | | 21/07/2008 | | | Armourcoat will put the unique new Darwin Centre cocoon ‘under the microscope’ at 100% Design this year. The company’s main exhibition stand will feature this stunning new landmark development - a bold new £75m extension to London’s Natural History Museum. Designed by Danish architects C. F. Møller – the second phase of the Darwin Centre creates a new architectural icon for the capital, ground-breaking in scale and breath-taking in its originality and creative brilliance.
The design features a vast free-standing structure taking the form of an enormous cocoon within a glass atrium. The eight storey high cocoon houses a unique collection of 17 million insects and 3 million plants collected over the last 300 years by scientists including Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace and Sir Hans Sloane. The building completes the Museum’s life science complex, the Darwin Centre, following the first phase opened in 2002.
The architectural design team at C. F. Møller treated the cocoon concept literally, to create a silk bubble with a network of threads criss-crossing the surface, ivory coloured with a subtle sheen. Armourcoat was specified to devise a unique creative solution combining both the insulation and the final decorative layers. A 50mm polystyrene layer was fitted which provided the insulation required for the sixty-five metre long structure. A total of 5.6km of custom-designed edge bead was then fitted before Armourcoat’s unique AntiCrack substrate preparation system, key coat and final decorative polished plaster finish was applied to the 3,500 m2 surface.
The cocoon is a milestone achievement, a unique design and technical solution befitting the historic and social reference of the Natural History Museum. This also is a stunning example of the type of commercial projects now undertaken by Armourcoat, celebrating twenty-five years of creative excellence in 2009.
The full range of products will be presented at the 100% Design show. Expert advice will be available throughout the duration of the exhibition, at both the Armourcoat (A40) and adjacent ArmourCast (A38) stand.
For more information visit www.armourcoat.com or call 01732 460668. | |
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