California Academy of Sciences, Natural history museum and research center in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, United States.
The California Academy of Sciences occupies a long, low building in Golden Gate Park whose light-beige concrete base carries a flat, light-grey roof. Two large rounded domes covered in earth rise from that roof, one near each end, and a row of tall, thin palm trees stands before a facade of dark glass panels and thin vertical supports. Over the main entrance a flat glass-and-metal canopy projects above wide concrete steps; a tall red vertical sign reads "CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES" beneath a sunburst logo.
The institution began in 1853 as one of the first scientific societies on the West Coast and moved to Golden Gate Park in 1916. After earthquake damage, the building was entirely rebuilt in 2008 and fitted with a planted roof.
The institution takes its name from California's early scientific community and continues to link research with public education. Visitors today can watch scientists working in glass-walled laboratories, where they sort specimens and document species.
The 2008 building in Golden Gate Park holds the Steinhart Aquarium in its basement level, the Morrison Planetarium and the four-story rainforest dome under one roof, so the three main attractions sit within a single structure. Research and administrative facilities take up nearly half the building, and most of that work happens behind the scenes rather than in public view.
The living roof covers about 100,000 square feet (about 9,300 square meters) and supports native plants that attract bees and birds. This layer of soil and vegetation helps keep the building cool in summer and warm in winter.
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