The Musée de l'Homme (Museum of Mankind) has reopened in Paris, six years after the institution closed and almost ceased to be amid uncertainty about its future under former President Jacques Chirac.

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, then President Jacques Chirac moved half of its collection of Asian, African, American and Oceanian exhibits to the new Quai Branly museum.

Amid the uncertainty, the museum has undergone a €90m (US$103m, £66.9m) interior redevelopment, boasting 2,500sq m (27,000sq ft) of revamped exhibit space, with a new focus on the evolution of mankind “as a biological and cultural construct”, looking at how nature shaped man.

Despite giving up a sizeable chunk of its collection, 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 its exhibits. While the exterior remains the same, the interior has been gutted and built from the ground up. Divided into three sections, the exhibits follow the theme of “Who are we?”, “Where do we come from?” and “Where are we heading?”.

Now featuring a modern frame with intermediate levels linked by glass and steel staircases, the 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 nearby Quai Branly offers a purely artistic approach, the revamped Musée de l'Homme also 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.