Golden Park Green Roof

The new california academy of sciences building in san francisco s golden gate park has a green roof that provides 2 5 acres 10 000 m 2 of native vegetation designed as a habitat for indigenous species including the threatened bay checkerspot butterfly.

Golden park green roof.

When golden gate park was developed some 125 years ago the city covered sand dunes with plants not native to san francisco. Completely rebuilt in 2008 the academy s primary building in golden. A fantastic gallery featuring 25 amazing buildings with green roof designs also known as living roofs. Welcome to our gallery featuring a spectacular array of green roofs one of the most innovative yet natural roofing solutions ever.

Expected to earn a leed platinum certification from the u s. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research. These spectacular rooftops feature lawns gardens and beyond. Ironically the academy s roof is the one spot in the park that has 100.

Green roofs are also known as vegetative or eco roofs. Our living roof is more than beautiful it s the heart of the academy. Millennium park is a multi award winning 24 5 acre public park with venues for performance art sculpture architecture and landscape architecture located between chicago s lakefront and the central business district the loop. Although there are no precise definitions of them an extensive green roof has a shallow growing medium usually less than six inches with a modest roof load limited plant diversity minimal.

A solar canopy around the perimeter of the living roof contains 60 000 photovoltaic cells that supply almost 213 000 kwh of clean energy per year at least 5 percent of the academy s standard energy needs and prevents the release of more than 405 000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Weather stations on the roof monitor wind rain and changes in temperature to help inform the building s automated systems and skylights keeping rainforest temps just right the interior piazza cool and comfortable and natural light streaming to the exhibits below. According to the academy s fact sheet on the building the building consumes 30 35. The starting point for the competition project was a conventional parking house structure.

Diagram showing car park structure. Created to reinvigorate a 25 acre tract of land in chicago s grant park millennium park incorporates groundbreaking advances in sustainable design including the. The california academy of sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in san francisco california that is among the largest museums of natural history in the world housing over 46 million specimens.