California Academy of Sciences

'The green roof with its bubbles is like foliage wrapping itself over branches. And Pacific breezes make sure you don't feel trapped inside some heavy institutional building' Photograph: Shunji Ishida/Shunji Ishida

'You can say that the building is made of shadows. Being inside is like being under a tree in summer' Photograph: Nic Lehoux/Nic Lehoux

'This is a complex building, but we wanted it to feel natural and relaxed as well as easy to get around' Photograph: Shunji Ishida/Shunji Ishida

'Here you have scientists busy at very slow work, researching, and visitors who consume the experiences the Academy has to offer in a few hours. But this was a good starting point for thinking about the design' Photograph: Nic Lehoux/PR

'It seems strange but here on top of the building we've recreated a patch of the original natural landscape of this part of California' Photograph: John McNeal/John McNeal

'At the opening, an America Indian whose great-great-grandfather once owned the site lit a pipe and blew smoke as an act of blessing the roof. He told us that he was happy that the spirit of the place had been reborn' Photograph: Nic Lehoux/PR

'We could have thought of a different solution for the roof without plants and birds, but the green roof is about a new spirit for 21st-century buildings. We are learning to develop an aesthetic, as well as a practical technique to save energy, that demonstrates a concern for the fragility of biodiversity and the need to care for nature' Photograph: Nic Lehoux/Nic Lehoux

'This doesn't mean we have to go back and live in mud huts with green roofs. We can work with both new technology and nature to find the right balance' Photograph: Nic Lehoux/Nic Lehoux