Today I will share a bit about two extremely exciting buildings I get to see pretty much weekly when I go running in Golden Gate Park.
One of them is the new California Academy of Sciences building that was designed by Renzo Piano, completed in 2008. The institution was founded in 1853. It is one of the few of its kind that conducts scientific research whilst letting the public visit at the same time. The visitors get to explore biology and natural history exhibitions, as well as the aquarium and planetarium. The new project was meant to replace the previous buildings of Cal Academy that were damaged during the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. Three of them have been maintained in the new design. The entire project is a machine of efficiency and sustainability. Its most iconic feature is the curved green roof, which is not only a beautiful garden for the museum, but also accommodates solar panels that provide a lot of the power used by the building. The soil is also a thermal mass that maintains the whole patio within the glass box underneath at a stable temperature.
The second building is situated right in front of the Academy of Sciences. The De Young Museum designed by Herzog & de Meuron was completed in 2005. It was also designed to replace the previous building that was damaged in the same earthquake. It consists of a wide concrete structure enveloped by a copper facade that shelter the inner part of the building as well as parts of the outside, area which accommodates sculptural exhibits. The institution was founded in 1895 and it is a part of the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco. Their collection contains paintings, sculptures and textiles from the Americas, Africa and Oceania.
Hope all of you are having a great start of the year. Cheers to more running and exploring the towns we inhabit!
