The 2008 building of the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park was designed by Renzo Piano, with landscape design by SWA Group. Construction began on September 12, 2005, on a $500 million building. The Academy reopened on September 27, 2008, with a free day. The article names no client or style, and calls the design environmentally friendly.
The building covers 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2). Its green roof, 2.5 acres of California native plants, is inspired by San Francisco's seven hills. A central piazza under a glass ceiling opens to let in cool night air, replacing air conditioning. Sixty thousand photovoltaic cells supply power.
It used 20,000 cubic yards of recycled concrete and 11 million pounds of recycled steel. It holds LEED Platinum certification and won a 2008 Urban Land Institute Award. The article gives no hours.
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