Greener Than Thou is our report on San Francisco’s obsession with all things green, calling bullshit in the poseurs and lavishing praise on those who have secured their place in environmental paradise. Feeling morally superior on the green front? Testify!
The California Academy of Sciences (perhaps the most green of the Greener Than Thou buildings in San Francisco) is a striking example of new way of approaching building design. Let's forget about Renzo for one hot second, and instead focus on the ground troops: As architects become increasingly ambitious with "green roofs," it is becoming much more necessary for them to work closely with their landcape brethern. SWA Group, the landscape masterminds behind the Academy, had to adapt their original design to fit with the architect's intent. But it wasn't as simple as that— any change in the structural system requires alterations not only to the mechanical system, but also the irrigation and soil systems of the roof. The building is affected by its rooftop landscape just as much as the landscaped is informed by the building. See then Architectural Record for more than you ever wanted to know about the 7 green humps atop San Francisco's favorite piece of new architecture.
· Landscape/Architecture Firms Growing Closer [Architectural Record]
· SWA Group]