Philip’s Garden Blog

Eleven years ago the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened its doors to visitors from all over the world, and thus ushered in “The Bilbao Effect”. Cities wishing to be considered “world class” and attract those tourist dollars have since constructed remarkable structures to house cultural institutions, from the Getty Center in Los Angeles to the new museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. These museums put the capital “A” in architecture and I think of them as the cathedrals of our time. The impulse which built the Canterbury cathedral and sent thousands on the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela was of course by nature, spiritual. Within that paradigm, however, was also the desire to get out into the world and see something new, to gather together with others and to be inspired.

The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco recently opened its doors to a wildly enthusiastic public. Located on the site of the previous academy which had been damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the new academy designed by Renzo Piano not only houses a stunning collection of exhibits celebrating the natural world, but, in the tradition begun at Bilbao, the building is itself a star attraction. This building, however, takes the next leap by going beyond architectural theatrics. Receiving platinum certification under the LEED program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) the academy boasts an impressive list of recycled materials and energy savings. Rather than merely discussing environmental concerns such as climate change and alternative energy, the new academy is an environmental philosophy made real in three dimensions.

One of the things that I particularly wanted to see during my visit to the academy was “The Living Roof”. Green roofs in other applications have shown to reduce the “heat island effect” of higher urban temperatures due to large expanses of black tar roofs and pavement. Green roofs reduce the interior temperatures of buildings reducing energy costs for cooling. The living roof incorporates these qualities with an original and artistic arrangement of undulating hillocks which lies over the domes of the interior rainforest and planetarium. To keep the soil and plants secured on the slopes, an ingenious solution was developed by the firm, Rana Creek. Biodegradable trays with planting mix were placed like tiles over the structure. A collection of native plants knit the whole together.

California native plants thrive in this environment despite months of drought. Floral displays of California aster Aster chilensis delight as well as provide an important nectar source for butterflies and bees.

Upright stands of purple flowering Prunella vulgaris emerge from wild strawberry Fragaria chiloensis.

Numerous plants are yet to emerge. Look for glorious displays this spring of pink flowering Sea Thrift Armeria maritima, yellow and white Tidy Tips Layia platyglossa, and orange california poppies Eschscholzia californica.

The glass roof of the central piazza can be glimpsed from above

The academy’s central piazza is a place for people to relax in an atmosphere of structual lightness and transparancy.

Views of the surrounding park are invited into the museum. The twisting copper tower of the neighboring De Young musuem is enjoyed from the piazza as a kind of monumental sculpture.

I spoke with Larry Reed and John Loomis, landscape architects with the firm SWA Group who designed and implemented the construction of the academy gardens. They described that when the living roof was first installed and before the planting trays had time to set, they came to the central piazza each morning grateful that the plantings had not collapsed into the piazza below! The Living Roof, seen from below, has proven to be a technological success as well as an artistic one.

The living roof is enjoyed by visitors from a viewing platform. This arrangement brings to mind the Karesansui, Japanese viewing gardens. The roof terrain is an abstraction of the hills of San Francisco, contemplated from a set location.

From the viewing platform one can see the band of photovoltaic cells which contributes to the energy needs of the academy.

The living roof affords new vistas into the park. Beyond the concourse is the Japanese Tea garden and the De Young Museum sculpture garden.

Flanking the academy are the east and west gardens. At first glance, I thought these gardens were lacking in much to interest the plantsperson. After being in them for a bit I found that their direct approach with rectangles of expansive grass was the perfect counterpoint to the busy interior. After visiting the busy academy’s exhibits, the gardens are a respite where childeren can run around and people relax.

A hanging sculpture by Maya Lin and carved sculptures of animals by Benny Bufano grace the grounds.

Landscape architects Larry Reed and John Loomis describe the former site of the east garden as a “cesspool of trash cans and concrete. The former academy was a collection of mis-matched buildings. The new academy has a smaller footprint, allowing the creation of the gardens. The new design is also pulled back from the site of the Shakespeare Garden.”

 

“The forests of Golden Gate Park were in decline” according to Reed and Loomis.
“Pine trees were dying, and rather than try to recreate a formal 19th century style garden, SWA group focused on de-selecting pine trees and planting redwoods. Understory plantings of oak and bay laurel were established to impove the park’s forest in a wholistic way”

If you plan to visit the academy, I would recommend becoming a member. It would be less expensive in the long run if you plan to visit more than once and there are times set aside for admittance to members only . The academy is worthy of support not only for the museum itself, but for the important contributions it makes to the field of science.

From the Academy’s website:

The California Academy of Sciences is a multifaceted scientific institution committed to leading-edge research, to educational outreach, and to finding new and innovative ways to engage and inspire the public.

The Academy’s mission - to explore, explain and protect the natural world - extends to all corners of the institution; from a research expedition in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, to a teacher training program in a California classroom, to an interactive game on the museum exhibit floor.

My personal thanks to landscape architects Larry Reed and John Loomis for discussing with me their work on the academy.
http://www.swagroup.com/

For more information of the California Academy of Sciences
http://www.calacademy.org/

Academy Sustainability Statement:

Sustainability is often defined as meeting current human needs without endangering our descendants. There is a broad, scientific consensus that our current environmental demands are unsustainable, causing climate change, degradation of natural habitats, loss of species, and shortages of essential resources.

The California Academy of Sciences’ mission to explore, explain and protect the natural world compels the Academy to engage in scientific research relevant to sustainability, to raise public awareness about these urgent problems, and to minimize its own environmental impact.

The Academy’s green building signifies its commitment to sustainability. The culture and internal practices mirror that commitment in the areas of energy, water, waste management, transportation, purchasing and food. Academy programs highlight the living world and its connection to the changing global environment. Academy research focuses on the origins and maintenance of life’s diversity, and its expeditions roam the world, gathering scientific data to answer the questions, “How has life evolved, and how can it be sustained?”

The panorama of Rome includes a melange of roof terraces enlivened by rustic pergolas with trailing vines, potted shrubbery and modern antennae; the roofscape is as though the traditional orti (market gardens) of the region has been raised on high above the city. Interspersed in this landscape of tiled roofs and terraces are domes, bell towers, obelisks and monuments, many of which are flood-lit at night.

Rome benefits from a mild Mediterranean climate, and the enjoyment of al fresco living is enhanced by the western breezes off the sea, known in Rome as Er Ponentino. Arriving in the Roman spring and extending into summer, these gentle winds cool the city and its citizens. Romans have for centuries climbed to their rooftop terraces to catch the breeze and enjoy a siesta ( from Latin sexta or sixth hour), partaking of a leisurely midday meal and rest.  Er Ponentino and the roof terrace are inextricable to the rythyms of the city.  Henry James  wrote of spring in Rome:  “There are days when the beauty of the climate of Rome alone suffices for happiness.”

Such reverie is forgotten in the days of the Sirocco, where Rome is subjected to the hot dry winds which carry from its origin the gritty bite of the Sahara.

Saint Ambrose (340-397 CE) in his advice to Saint Augustine wrote:  “Si fueris Romae, Romano vivito more…” (when you are in Rome live in the Roman style…)

In the many visits I have made to Rome, our best experiences have been when we have heeded this advice ourselves. In the image above the great dome of the Pantheon looms over our roof terrace.The Pantheon, constructed in 125 CE by the Emperor Hadrian is the best preserved of the ancient Roman monuments, and is considered one of the most influential structures in the history of western architecture. I think of the Pantheon as the hub of Rome’s Centro Storico, that historic district of old Rome which incorporates the Piazza di Popolo to the north, the Spanish steps to the East and Piazza Navona and neighborhoods to the West. It is a place of pedestrian only streets and surprising piazzas where the theatre of la passeggiata takes place:  Romans of all ages descend from their apartments and roof terraces to stroll in the cool of the evening in the convivial atmosphere.

Russell Page (1906-1985), the influential 20th century garden designer wrote of the Roman roof garden in his book, The Education of A Gardener, “…only in Rome does a miscellaneous pot-grown greenery seem to fit, perhaps because in this hilly town the flowery roof-top of one house is often the terrace of the one above.”

Viewed from the roof terrace Rome’s famed quality of light appears dense with diffused atmosphere; the city basking in an amber luminosity. The chiarascuro of light and shadow on the ochre colored walls gives the city a theatricality as though staged for an opera.

Above the pedestrian-only streets of the Centro Storico, the traffic and noise of Rome seems far away . The cadence of footfall, the passing of a flock of pigeons, low snippets of Italian conversation echo up from the cobbled streets below the terrace. Without automobiles, the sound of the city is like a kind of music; this I felt, was the way Rome sounded for centuries.

Rome has about 400 churches, each possessing at least one if not dozens of bells. This combined with schools, convents and other institutions with a bell or two, means that at nearly all hours of the day there is a bell ringing in Rome. On the roof terrace one can hear them from great distances; bells for the hour, for the quarter and the half, bells for the Angelus, bells that caused Francoise Rabelais to call Rome L’Isle Sonnante, The Ringing Island.

One does not need to rent an apartment with a roof terrace to enjoy this uniquely Roman experience. In the Centro Storico  there are a few rooftop restaurants where one can enjoy a Campari and soda or a leisurely meal. I was recently asked to describe my most memorable meal, ever. I immediatly thought of a lunch in Rome shown in the above image. In heat of the afternoon, the city surrounded us in a somnolant haze; the  gentle breeze and the distant sound of bells was our accompaniment on a rooftop terrace overlooking the eternal city, Rome.