The Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, a 230,000-square-foot expansion of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, includes what Architectural Digest calls "a stunning biomorphic atrium known as the 'Canyon Wall,'" six stories of arching tree branches rising from the building's fa ? ade.
Arup, the architectural firm that designed the structure, calls it "a first-of-its-kind structural system of the building that not only provide a stunning open new space for visitors but also act as the structural system of the building."
The biomorphic atrium is made of shotcrete, a type of concrete that's more resistant to earthquakes than other types of concrete, and it also serves as the building's structural system.
It's not the first time shotcrete has been used in a building, but it's the first time it's been used as the building's structural system, per Architectural Digest.
The Gilder Center also includes a library, a theater, collections storage, and a Gems and Minerals Hall that's part of the museum's five-million-plus annual attendance.
It's the largest expansion in the museum's 150-year history.
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