CITY Issue 55 - (Page 14) ACTION ATLANTA NEW YORK HONG KONG LOS ANGELES SAN FRANCISCO RENZO PIANO REPLICATES NATURE ARCHITECTURE: CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES No, we’re not being invaded. Atop the re-built California Academy of Sciences museum opening later this year, architect Renzo Piano has sculpted a rolling landscape of native plants that echo the steep San Francisco undulating habitat for Golden Gate Park’s birds and insects. PV solar panels along the roof’s perimeter reduce the building’s on-grid energy consumption by a third. And on the few days when it gets hot in the Bay, the roof’s adjustable window panes, skylights, and shade screens will keep visitors comfortable — without air conditioning. The open-air piazza, built with recycled concrete and insulated with discarded blue jeans, also helps to keep it cool. These sustainable innovations at the “world’s greenest museum” would be enough to dazzle eco-tourists, but the museum also showcases three interactive science facilities with live displays, including a four-story rainforest atrium modeled on Borneo. An open laboratory will offer a peek at some of the academy’s researchers as they experiment en plein air. And from the aquarium’s underwater glass bubble, visitors can watch families of sharks circling, while in the planetarium, high-definition star shows will zoom around viewers in plush seats. All the better to keep look out for not-so-local visitors. — JESSICA KRAFT Go to www.calacademy.org CITY 14 TY CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE: PHOTO BY TIM GRIFFITH. hills. Biodegradable planters engineered out of coconut husks absorb storm water run-off and provide an http://www.calacademy.org
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