The new Academy is in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, on the site of the old museum, aquarium, and planetarium and opens to the public this week. The building is expected to receive a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum rating from the US Green Building Council.
The media and technology backbone of the project was coordinated by technical visualisation design consultants, Visual Acuity, who worked directly for the Academy and who were responsible for designing the technology and systems alongside the Renzo Piano Building Workshop of Genoa, Italy, in conjunction with local San Francisco architects Stantec Architecture (formerly Chong Partners). They were also responsible for specifying the equipment as well as working with contractors such as BBI, global immersion and Sky-Skan, and Visual Acuity.
"The high environmental standards we set affect both the construction and how we plan technically" says Blair Parkin, founder and Managing director at Visual Acuity. "In simple terms, projectiondesign was the only major manufacturer who cooperated on giving us detailed heat load and environmental information combined with technology that exceeded our expectations in doing the various jobs around the Academy.
projectiondesign had professional projection displays that met both the demanding needs of our blended display surfaces and our criteria for use in a green building. They were extremely helpful in providing input and advice during the last few years of design. Their installation and integration partners have all been great to work with and the two-way communication that we have between companies continues long after the work is completed."
Anders L°kke, international marketing & communications manager at projectiondesign adds: "This installation is truly the most sophisticated and diverse use of our projection system and technology within a single venue that we've been involved in. It clearly demonstrates how our projectors are designed for optimum efficiency and operational flexibility of the Academy. We look forward to contributing to their vision of educating the public, displaying the most outstanding exhibits and pioneering research in science."
(Jim Evans)
