California Academy of Sciences

2006 Environmental Protection Agency regional Environmental Award

2005 Silver Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction

2006 Environmental Protection Agency regional Environmental Award

2007 American Concrete Institute Award- Green/Environmental category

2007 California Construction Best of California Awards (Overall Top Project, Outstanding Architectural Design, and Green Building categories)

2009 AIA San Francisco Design Awards-Excellence in Architecture

2010 Green Good Design Awards – Architecture category

2009 Urban Land Institute for Excellence - Americas Region

2010 Green Good Design Awards – Architecture category

Double LEED Platinum certification (LEED NC + LEED EBOM)

The California Academy of Sciences has developed plans for a dynamic new facility that has transformed the museum into one of the world’s leading scientific and cultural institutions. The new design, which features a living planted roof, integrates the Academy more sensitively into Golden Gate Park and make nature a part of the building’s structure. With its environmentally-sensitive design, the new building is an expression of the Academy’s mission to understand and protect the natural world.

LEED CERTIFICATION

There are varying shades of green as measured by the U.S. Green Building Council through its LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. Through all aspects of design, construction, and building operations, the Academy will strive to achieve the highest rating: LEED platinum. The Academy’s goal is to join the ranks of only eight buildings in the United States that have achieved a platinum rating. When it opens in 2008, the Academy expects to be the largest public LEED platinum building in the world.

A PILOT PROJECT

The new Academy is one of ten pilot “green building” projects of the San Francisco Department of the Environment, part of a vanguard initiative to develop models for workable, sustainable public architecture.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

- The new Academy consumes 30% less energy than required by federal code.
- 55,000 square feet of photo voltaic cells in the roof supply almost 213,000 kWh of energy (about 5% of the new Academy’s energy needs), and prevent the release of more than 405,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
- The planted roof provides a thermal insulating layer for the building that help prevent overheating during the summer months and reduce energy needs for air-conditioning.

WATER EFFICIENCY

- The new Academy’s living roof reduces storm water runoff by at least 50% (up to 2 million gallons of water per year).
- Rainwater collected on the roof is used as wastewater, reducing the use of potable water for wastewater conveyance by 90% percent.
- Overall potable water use is 22% less than baseline.
- Saltwater for the aquariums has piped in from the Pacific Ocean. Nitrate wastes are purified with natural systems, ensuring that aquarium water can be recycled.

NATURAL LIGHT AND VENTILATION

- While the Academy uses new “green” technologies, it also takes advantage of simple, traditional engineering techniques involving use of natural light and ventilation.
- At least 90% of regularly occupied spaces have access to daylight and outside views, reducing energy use and heat gain from electric lighting. Lighting controls is included automatic dimming, linked to external light levels, to ensure that a minimum of electric lighting is used at all times.
- Openings in the roof domes creates a stack effect on the exhibit floors, drawing in cool air from below and exhaling warm air out the roof. Operable windows is employed in staff offices.

RECYCLED BUILDING MATERIALS

- 100% of the demolition waste from the old Academy was recycled. 9,000 tons of concrete were reused in Richmond roadway construction, 12,000 tons of steel were recycled and went to Schnitzer Steel, and 120 tons of green waste were recycled on site.
- At least 50% of the wood in the new Academy will be sustainability harvested and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
- Recycled steel have been used for 100% of the building’s structural steel.

THE LIVING ROOF

- A new link in an ecological corridor for wildlife, the new Academy’s living roof has been planted with nine native California species that is not require artificial irrigation.
- Approximately 1.7 million plants have been blanket the living roof.
- The native plants provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. Beach strawberries (Fragaria chiloensis) produce berries that attract a number of native birds, self heal (Prunella vulgaris) bears large tubular flowers that are attractive to hummingbirds and bumble bees, sea pink (Armeria maritime) produces pom-pom-like flowers that attract moths and butterflies, stonecrop (Sedum spathulitholium) produces nectar for the Hairstreak butterfly and the threatened San Bruno elfin butterfly, tidy tips (Layia platyglossa) attract parasitic wasps and pirate bugs that feed on pest insects, miniature lupine (Lupinus bicolor) and California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) provide nectar for bees and butterflies, California plantain (Plantago erecta) hosts a variety of butterfly larvae, and the bright yellow flowers produced by Goldfield plants (Lasthenia californica) attract a wide variety of beneficial native insects.