California Academy of Sciences

Format
Brief

City
San Francisco

State/Province
CA

Country
USA

Metro Area
San Francisco

Project Type
Special Use

Location Type
Other Central City

Land Uses
Aquarium
Museum
Office
Open space
Parking
Planetarium
Restaurant

Keywords
Green roof
Indoor rainforest
LEED Platinum certified
Minimal impact development
Sustainable development
ULI Awards for Excellence 2009 Winner

Site Size
10 acres
acres hectares

Date Started
1999

Date Opened
2008

A brief is a short version of a case study.

One of the world’s largest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum public buildings, the California Academy of Sciences features an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and four-story rainforest beneath a 2.5-acre (one-ha) living roof. Located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the building integrates the academy’s operations in a single sustainable structure, embodying the organization’s mission of preservation and protection of natural habitats, species, and resources. Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano, the new development is one of the most important cultural improvement projects in San Francisco’s history.

Become a member today to view this case study.

Unlimited access to this robust content is a key benefit of ULI membership. View a “Free Look” case study to see what you are missing, and consider becoming a member to gain unlimited access to ULI Case Studies.

Free Look Learn More about Membership

Developer/Owner
California Academy of Sciences
San Francisco, CA

Architects
Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Genoa, Italy

Stantec
Edmonton, AB, Canada

Engineer
Arup
London, UK

Landscape Architect
SWA Group
Sausalito, CA

Website
www.calacademy.org

Principal Author(s)
Theodore Thoerig, Alexandra Notay, David Leipziger

ULI Awards for Excellence 2009 Winner