|
|
Four years and $500 million in the making, the new facility combines an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum and scientific research facilities under one roof. The Academy will offer a unique experience of discovery and wonder for guests of all ages. Visitors can explore the outer reaches of the galaxy in the world's largest all-digital planetarium, get a bird's eye view of the humid canopy of a Costa Rican rainforest, or enjoy the view underneath the waves at the world's deepest display of living corals, all in the same visit. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the new building blends seamlessly into the landscape of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Standing as an embodiment to the Academy's mission to explore, explain and protect the natural world, it is topped with a 2.5-acre living roof and employs a wide range of energy-saving materials and technologies. More than 38,000 live animals fill the new Academy's aquarium and natural history exhibits; one of the most diverse collections of live animals at any museum or aquarium in the world. Lunch at the Academy Cafe and Planetarium show included..
|
