New York’s American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) has been granted first approval for its US$325m (€288.8m, £248.6m) expansion intended to expand the institution’s role for scientific research and education.

AMNH was given the approval when a joint committee composed of members from the Community Board 7 committees on preservation and parks and environment voted in favour of the Gilder Center plans, which will create a new six-storey addition to the museum, helping with existing circulation problems.

There had been some opposition to the impinging of Theodore Roosevelt Park, which sits on the back area of the museum campus where the development is planned. The new build will take a quarter of that land but AMNH has responded to these concerns by factoring in space created from the demolition of three of its existing buildings to leave more green space than before.

Set to open in time for the museum’s 150th anniversary at the end of 2019, the cave-like design by Studio Gang combines and streamline the various activities at the museum, helping with circulation problems by “conjuring spaces created by forces of nature”, such as canyons and glacial forms, to create new through paths to the museum’s vast campus.

Now the plans have been approved by the Preservation and Parks committees, the project will go before the full community board on 5 October at which point it will be able to break ground if approved.