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Thu, October 16, 2008 |
Last Updated: October 14,2008 5:03:25 pm
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October 10th, 2008, By Scott Tavener
Renzo Piano's California Academy of Sciences
 Architectural hide and seek The NewsEvery Renzo Piano unveiling is monumental. His subtly stunning California Academy of Sciences redesign blends into the landscape with a surprising panache. Behind the NewsLong before I had heard Renzo Piano's memorable name, I happened upon Centres Georges Pompidou in Paris. Typically one doesn't "happen" upon the hulking multi-purpose structure in the 4th arrondissement. It's a destination building in a city of architectural curios (i.e. The Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, etc.). Pompidou, in all of its vaguely-industrial, Technicolor glory, remains modern and striking, even thirty years after construction. It was my first experience with a Piano design and it left an indelible mark on my consciousness.
Piano has built a career out of circumventing expectations, defying trends, and eschewing parameters. Throughout the world, his vastly differing structures stand out amongst a continually expanding crop of aesthetic marvels. Now, he has added the California Academy of Sciences to his illustrious CV. Golden Gate Park gets more attention than most public green spaces. Sprawling and scenic, it has had songs written about it (see John Vanderslice's "Golden Gate Park") and features in films (see Dirty Harry). With nooks, cafes, and museums, it's one of San Francisco's major tourist attractions. The Park has long been home to the California Academy of Sciences (CAS). In more than a century and a half, CAS has weathered earthquakes and countless visitors. It was in need of a revamp. When structures need a new look, the best place to look is typically to award-winning designer, Renzo Piano. Piano's arresting design has won awards and wowed aesthetes and architecture enthusiasts. Taking over the same space as 11 previously-existing buildings, the new-look CAS incorporates a variety of looks including its Versailles-evoking entrance, its quintessentially Californian foliage usage, and novel roof. The latter utilizes a grass-loving, verdant roof that rises over glass-dotted domes. Rising, sinking, and cultivating plant species, it's unlike any other rooftop, anywhere. Within, the new building houses exhibitions, meeting rooms, research centers, and other education-aimed areas. With skylights and copious windows, Piano's design will cull natural illumination from most sides of the structure. Combined with the nature-friendly visuals and aforementioned light, it should have an airy, welcoming feel, conducive to meanders and, ideally, learning. While his creations have a marked Piano-ness to them, each is entirely original. Particularly interesting is their relationship to their natural surroundings. Pompidou announces its presence definitively, whilst still nodding to its urban location. Likewise, Piano's gorgeous Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center in New Caldeonia rises up from the trees in a series of fan-like structures, thus exploiting the area and separating itself from it. Conversely, CAS has a symbiotic relationship with its geography, bleeding seamlessly into the landscape. Renzo Piano's California Academy of Sciences is now open. Comments
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