The Musée de l'Homme (Museum of Mankind) has reopened in Paris after undergoing a €90m (US$103m, £66.9m) interior redevelopment.

The relaunch comes six years after the institution closed and almost ceased to be amid uncertainty about its future under former President Jacques Chirac.

The new design by Bordeaux-based Brochet-Lajus-Pueyo, in conjunction with architectural studio Emmanuel Nebout, takes note of the original design, retaining certain elements while increasing entry of natural light into the building and making more areas for public space available.

While the exterior remains the same, the interior has been gutted and built from the ground up. The museum now has 2,500sq m (27,000sq ft) of revamped exhibit space and features a modern frame with intermediate levels linked by glass and steel staircases.

First opened in 1937, the museum’s future was put into question after its closure in 2009. When it shut for a three-year redevelopment, Chirac moved half of its collection of Asian, African, American and Oceanian exhibits to the new Quai Branly museum, which is located nearby.

Despite giving up a sizeable chunk of its artefacts, the museum still boasts some of the largest collections of prehistoric artefacts in the world, in addition to a new collection of ethnological pieces and a major tech upgrade to its existing exhibits. Divided into three sections, the exhibits follow the theme of “Who are we?”, “Where do we come from?” and “Where are we heading?” and aim to explore the evolution of mankind “as a biological and cultural construct”.

The Musée de l'Homme provides a working area for 150 researchers and includes laboratories for DNA analysis. For visitors, technology plays a key part, with 61 touch screens spread throughout the exhibition halls, offering details about nearby objects.

President François Hollande was on hand to unveil the refurbished museum, which opened on 17 October, offering free entry for the first three days.