The transformed California Academy of Sciences includes sustainable features that blend the beauty of architecture with the park's natural setting. The innovative design has already gained international recognition as a cultural icon.
Building Excitement
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It's taken ten years and great vision to unify the Academy's twelve buildings into one notable structure. Under one Living Roof, the new Academy contains a planetarium, aquarium, and natural history museum. When the facility opens in Fall 2008, the Academy hopes to earn the highest rating-platinum- for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). |
Our Commitment to Sustainability
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The Academy constructed the new facility using methods that reflect its commitment to the natural world, enabling the institution to lead by example. Sustainable features include solar panels, radiant subfloor heating, water reclamation, a living roof, and more. |
Behind the Scenes
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Fish, reptiles, birds, and insects had to find a new home to make the vision of the new building a reality. Staff scientists used special techniques to move them to the Howard Street location, or in some cases, other aquariums. Six times the number of living specimens will inhabit the new facility in Golden Gate Park. |
Architecture + Design |
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Architect Renzo Piano
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, working with the Genoa-based Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), in collaboration with the San Francisco-based Chong Partners, has created one of the city's greenest buildings.
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