A talk by Max Clayton, Structure Workshop

Outside the Natural History Museum, London, a new resident stands tall among their recently opened gardens.

Over the past four years, engineers Structure Workshop have collaborated with scientists at the Natural History Museum, and art conservationists Factum Arte to design and fabricate the world’s first and only post-tensioned bronze dinosaur.

Based on the Museum's much-loved Diplodocus cast, the new attraction is a free-standing, 25m long, life-size bronze dinosaur. Newly named Fern, it was officially unveiled in July 2024 in the revamped museum gardens as part of the Urban Nature Project.

Fern was one of the most technically complex challenges the engineers have undertaken, and the design required months of problem solving and the creative contribution of numerous academics, technicians and craftspeople to develop the engineering solution.

Max Clayton will take us through the process, through inception, design and fabrication, and discuss the major challenges on the way and the creative solutions adopted to overcome them.

Fern the Diplodocus is supported by Kusuma Trust