Renzo Piano Green Museum

"The building had to be green and sustainable to go with its purpose - study of the earth and science. It is also in a very unusual place, the middle of one of the most beautiful parks in the world. You almost never get a chance to build something in the middle of a great park, so it needed to be transparent. You needed to see where you are. Normally a museum of natural science is created like a theatre, so that you can have the exhibits inside. All museums normally are opaque; they are closed, like a kingdom of darkness, and you are trapped inside. But here you need to know about the connection with nature, so almost anywhere you are in this building you can see through to the outside" Renzo Piano.

The energy efficiency building stretched up a 2.5 acres of living roof that absorb around 2 million gallons of rainwater each year that would otherwise go down the drain. The roof is at maximum capacity during heavy downpours. water will siphoned off the roof to an underground water system that will siphon it back into the park.

Piano was determined to build the greenest museum possible using complicated system of weather sensors that connects a central computer, which motorized windows to shut and open. His design incorporates with the environment by using undulating roofline brings cool air that helps to cool the museum without using air conditioning.

This project definitely defines regionalism when Piano integrates the relationship between architectural building and the nature of the site altogether describe as a sustainable regional work.

Green Museum - San Francisco
photo taken from
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/renzo-green-museum-san-francisco.php