Millions of plant and animal specimens will go on display in giant eight-storey cocoon tomorrow as the Natural History Museum's new £78m Darwin Centre opens its doors to the public.
Up to 2,500 people a day will also be able to see the museum's scientists in action, working in once-concealed hi-tech laboratories and among 3.3 kilometres of cabinets.
Some of the glass-fronted laboratories will be linked by intercom so visitors can quiz the experts about what they are doing.
The opening celebrations were attended Prince William and Sir David Attenborough. "The Natural History Museum and the dedicated people who work here are at the very forefront of research, seeking out through study of the natural world the answers to the great questions of our age," the prince said.
"Its collections, and what it achieves in the areas of research and education make it – quite simply – the envy of the world. This magnificent new wing will further enhance the museum's peerless reputation."
Attenborough also addressed guests. "Never has it been so important to understand the diversity of life on Earth and how it is changing, if we are to tackle many of the issues that humans face today," he said. "The Darwin Centre will inspire the next generation of naturalists and scientists through its combination of scientific expertise, specimens, public dialogue, film and interactive media. It will enable all of us to explore the wonders of our world and investigate its secrets."
The new Darwin Centre, by Scandinavian architects CF Møller, holds 17m entomology specimens and 3m botany specimens. At 60 metres long, 12 metres wide, 300 millimetres thick and covering 3,500 square metres, it is the largest sprayed concrete curved structure in Europe.
It offers 1,040 square metres of laboratory space, doubling the size of the museum's lab areas. The top three floors are devoted to spectacular new galleries, where some of the oldest and most precious objects in the collection, among them specimens brought back by Charles Darwin from the Beagle voyage, will be displayed.
