Coffey Architects has added a library with a perforated facade to London's Science Museum, as part of a major redevelopment that will also include galleries by Muf, Wilkinson Eyre and the late Zaha Hadid.

The Dana Research Centre and Library occupies the lower two floors of the museum's Wellcome Wolfson Building in South Kensington.

Related story: Barber and Osgerby's Science Museum gallery is their "most important" architecture project

The upper floor is covered by a white screen with thousands of tiny openings, which create a dappled lighting effect for the interior.

London-based Coffey Architects designed the space to reference the story of scientist Isaac Newton, who is said to have first discovered gravity while sitting under the shade of an apple tree and witnessing fruit falling from its branches.
"The dappled light effect was inspired by the contemplative conditions that might have been experienced by Isaac Newton while he sat under the apple tree," said the design team. "This double-height canopy also filters sound, as well as views to the landscape outside."

Inside the centre, timber-lined bookshelves, walls and desks contribute to a warm and light-filled setting.
A long reading table is set in a double-height space by the glazed facade of the building. To its rear, wooden bookshelves occupy single-height spaces, and a staircase leads to a mezzanine with a common room and staff areas.

"The sch...