The California Academy of Sciences is currently migrating 20 million specimens and 38,000 living animals to its new location in Golden Gate Park. The $484 million, 410,000 sq. ft. building designed by Renzo Piano boasts some absolutely stunning eco-friendly features and is expected to acquire LEED status.

Genuinely sustainable, the facility will be naturally lit, have a massive solar canopy, use over 200,000 recycled pairs of Levi’s jeans as insulation in the walls and takes the concept of “greenroofing” to a whole new level. According to I.D. magazine, “Academy officials wanted to create an inspiring structure that could also serve as an exhibit itself: More than 90 percent of the demolition waste from the original structure was recycled to erect the new academy, which will consume nearly 35 percent less energy than required by federal building code.”

The roof (featured in images) - a series of rolling hills comprised of over 1.7 million individual plants - was engineered to absorb millions of liters of rainwater each year to prevent storm run off from carrying pollutants into the park. It’s also pivotal to the buildings interior, as its downward reaching greenery stimulates four different global habitats.

An aquarium, piazza, planetarium and natural history museum occupy the inside.

Images: Shapeshift Flickr