Courtesy Ralph Appelbaum Associates

Chicago-based Studio Gang's expansion of the American Museum of Natural History—called the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation—is set to begin later this year. The 235,000-square-foot, six-story center will act as a connective volume, joining the museum's existing galleries and enhancing the circulation. According to a press release, the design is inspired by natural curvilineal forms and will create nearly 30 new connections for the museum’s 10 existing buildings.

Last week, New York YIMBY reported that the executive architect Davis Brody Bond has filed permits with the city's Department of Buildings, meaning that the construction is forthcoming.

The new Gilder Center is expected to open to the public in 2020, a year after the museum's 150th anniversary.

A rendering of the Insectarium on the first floor of the Gilder Center.
Courtesy Ralph Appelbaum Associates A rendering of the Insectarium on the first floor of the Gilder Center.
A rendering of the year-round Butterfly Vivarium on the second floor of the Gilder Center.
Courtesy Ralph Appelbaum Associates A rendering of the year-round Butterfly Vivarium on the second floor of the Gilder Center.
A rendering of the entrance to the proposed Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation from Theodore Roosevelt Park.
Courtesy Studio Gang Architects A rendering of the entrance to the proposed Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation from Theodore Roosevelt Park.