Looking more like somewhere that the Teletubbies would chill out, on Sept 27th the California Academy of Sciences will open the doors to its new home. It is now housed in what is claimed to be the world’s largest green-certified public museum, complete with a two-and-a-half acre living roof! Nearly 10 years and $500 million dollars in the making, the building is a testament to sustainable architecture and my kids can’t WAIT to try it out!

The roof features seven hills covered with six inches of soil and nine species of plants native to northern California. In all, 1.7 million flowers and other plants will grow on the roof, attracting an abundance of butterflies, birds and other wildlife.

What’s really cool about the roof though is that, apart from being absolutely gorgeous, it is designed to reduce the museum’s energy consumption by providing natural insulation. It will also absorb nearly 3.6 million gallons of rainwater per year. Couple that with the other green design elements which include 60,000 solar cells (which hopefully will help the building earn a Leadership in Energy and Environment Design Platinum certification – the highest ranking available) and you’ve got one big bundle of eco-friendliness.

Inside there is a four-story rainforest and a 212,000 gallon aquarium filled with coral and 4,000 reef fish. It even boasts the world’s largest all-digital planetarium.

Take a look at this video outlining the progress and methods used in the construction process. It’s really quite something!

So, if you’re in the area, pop along for the weekend-long opening celebration in Golden Gate Park – which features sustainably sourced food from all over the world and the latest in green technologies.
Oh, and admission to the Academy will be free on Saturday, September 27th, too!