San Francisco Museum Living Roof

Our living roof is a marvel of engineering and a testament to the academy s commitment to sustainability.

San francisco museum living roof.

1 5 california academy of sciences green roof san francisco green roof san francisco green building sustainable museum. That sketch launched plans for what may be the most complicated living roof ever built. The san francisco based bernard osher foundation made a 20 million donation to the new academy project in support of the living roof and the four story osher rainforest exhibit. The new building will be an organic extension of the academy s commitment to understand and.

In size and design the academy roof is unprecedented marked by seven domes and steep hillocks envisioned by celebrity lead architect renzo piano as a nod to san francisco s undulating topography. Its 2 5 acre undulating greenroof sits 35 feet in the air planted with a variety of over 50 native wildflowers and other species. Curved steel beams were installed to create a rolling hillside effect like the hills of san francisco. Rolling hills and 1 7 million plants create an oasis for native species atop the academy s 2 5 acre living roof.

A building heralded as the greenest museum in the world opens saturday in san francisco. Tim griffith california academy of sciences. The living roof planted with nine local species the 2 5 acre roof is the largest swath of native vegetation in san francisco. A living roof will slope over interior exhibitions and read as hills against the natural landscape.

The california academy of sciences features a living green roof with native plants insulation made from. The six inches of soil substrate on the roof acts as natural insulation and prevents stormwater runoff from carrying pollutants into the ecosystem. Learn more about the 2 5 acre oasis atop the museum. One of san francisco s most exciting green projects is the construction.