With summer in full swing, it’s the perfect time for a weekend getaway…
A popular road trip for those of us in Orange County is the drive up to Northern California, where beautiful natural landscapes and a dynamic city keep visitors and locals busy both indoors and out during the warmer summer months. And then, of course, there’s the architecture…
A fantastic site to visit while in the Bay Area is the California Academy of Sciences, at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop. If you haven’t yet had the chance to visit this extraordinary interactive center, it’s reason enough to plan a trip up north!
In addition to housing the world’s largest digital planetarium, a living rainforest and natural history museum, the design features an extensive, undulating planted roof that takes the concept of ‘green roof’ to another level. The domes formed by this element respond to the natural landscape of the city, establishing a strong visual connection to the larger environmental context (and a great view for the volunteers in the image below).
The sloping topography of the four domes is also a way to help control microclimate, using the means by which air movement interacts with steep site conditions to cool exterior gathering spaces below. It also provides for insulation and minimized runoff, as rainfall is absorbed by the numerous species of California native plants, chosen specifically to attract wildlife and provide habitats for insects, birds, and butterflies.
Additionally, the roof has integrated, automated skylights that respond to changing temperature and humidity levels, providing ventilation and creating an open, comfortable interior space, with natural light illuminating the steel and glass structure and highlighting the central rainforest dome.
Also noteworthy is the great view of the de Young museum across the plaza…
Transparent photovoltaic panels surround the planted roof, enhancing the sense of lightness and transparency distinct to the architectural aesthetic.
For more information on visiting the California Academy of Sciences and for further details on this unique convergence of urban ecology and sustainable architecture, visit www.calacademy.org.
Happy Travels!
I love the way they used California native plants – making a very strong point that we live in a special place with unique flora and showing it off is a way of bringing the California Lifestyle into crisper focus.