California Academy of Sciences, Natural history museum and research center in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, United States.
The California Academy of Sciences contains four main sections: Morrison Planetarium, Steinhart Aquarium, Kimball Natural History Museum, and Osher Rainforest under one roof.
Founded in 1853, the institution relocated to Golden Gate Park in 1916 and underwent complete reconstruction in 2008 to create its modern scientific complex.
The museum maintains 46 million scientific specimens while conducting research in taxonomy, phylogenetics, and biodiversity through its Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability.
The facility operates daily from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Saturday and 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sundays with admission prices between 39 and 44 dollars.
The structure features a 2.3-acre living roof covered with 1.7 million California native plants, creating habitats for local wildlife and maintaining temperature regulation.
Location: San Francisco
Inception: 1853
Official opening: 1853
Industry: higher education
Address: 55 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118 94118 San Francisco
Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday 09:30-17:00; Sunday 11:00-17:00
Phone: +14153798000
Website: https://calacademy.org
GPS coordinates: 37.77000,-122.46639
Latest update: May 28, 2025 18:24
Photo license: CC BY-SA 3.0
Renzo Piano, born in Genoa in 1937, has developed an architectural language over five decades that combines technical precision with human scale. His buildings are characterized by transparent facades, visible structural elements, and the integration of natural light. The Centre Pompidou in Paris, completed in 1977 with Richard Rogers, displays building services on the exterior. The Whitney Museum in New York uses industrial materials within a residential neighborhood. The Shard in London reaches 309 meters with a glass facade that reflects daylight. His cultural buildings connect function with urban context. The Fondation Beyeler in Riehen near Basel sits within a park with glass walls between interior and exterior spaces. The Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome comprises three concert halls with different acoustics. Kansai Airport in Osaka stands on an artificial island with a 1.7-kilometer terminal. Piano received the Pritzker Prize in 1998 for his work.
Sites of technology companies in Silicon Valley including Meta, Apple, Google, and Oracle. The region also has historical sites like the garages where HP and Apple were born, museums dedicated to computing and science, as well as universities like Stanford and Berkeley that train sector talent. The company campuses showcase modern architecture of today's headquarters.
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