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Canada's Largest Green Roof

by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 06.22.07
Design & Architecture

vancouver-convetion-center.jpg

This green roof will be the largest in Canada when complete. It's the roof of the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. The whole Centre is being built with high environmental standards. Besides the multi-hectare intensive green roof, it will have energy efficient lighting and electrical systems, an on-site desalinization system, and a greywater treatment that will provide irrigation for the green roof.

The footings for the load-bearing piles have been designed to support marine life. The building will also house the Coal Harbour marine aerodrome, a seaplane airport with more than 400 daily flights. During the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics the building will serve as the international broadcast center.

Here's another rendering with an aerial perspective:

vancouverwaterfront.jpg

See also: Toronto Goes Green (Well, its Roofs, Anyways)

Comments (11)

will people be allowed to use it as park space?

and does the world need another airport?

jump to top Anonymous says:

I'm just wondering why they wouldn't do more to incorporate natural lighting from sky lights into the design... I don't know if there's engineering/technical limitations with the living roof design (weight, strength, leaks) or what. If someone came to me with those plans, I'd say, we need wind turbines here, here and here... solar panels here here and here... and skylights in the roof. But I definitely don't hate it. I hope all buildings start to look more like this.

jump to top stevejust says:

It's not another airport, the seaplanes already fly out of there. It's a replacement.

jump to top Anonymous says:

Put some putting greens up there, and you'll have conservative business executives clamoring to get on board the environmental bandwagon ! Pink slacks with Birkenstocks !

jump to top rob says:

who designed it? is this from william braungart?

jump to top yonderincarp says:

there will be no access to the roof. i think they dropped the ball big time on that one. it would have been amazing if you could go on to the roof. it is intended to be a sanctuary for the local migratory birds.

jump to top scott says:

No, from what I've heard, it is a green roof that is off-limits to pedestrian traffic. Kind of a shame, because that would be great public gathering space.

Oh well, the green roof is still a nice design, and I really hope the seawall around the building will help bring the focus of the city a bit more toward the water's edge.

jump to top Jordan says:

I'll be happy if this actually gets built as proposed. I try not to be cynical, but all too often grand visions are followed with half-assed implementation.

jump to top Obiter says:

Too bad Toronto doesn't have something like this on its waterfront. For a supposedly "green" city, T.O. does a lot of talking but has pretty little green. I'd love to see some massive green roofs like that go up. The new opera house in Toronto was a big wasted opportunity. A massive roof in the heart of downtown. And it's now just a big concrete slab. It's depressing to look down upon from the hotel next door. What a great view it would have been to look down on a lush green garden. At least that's a view the people in the towers near this Vancouver building will have. They'll be reminded where their oxygen comes from.

jump to top Josh Rachlis says:

damn how come i haven't heard of this until now and i've lived in vancouver my whole life? ahhh!

jump to top Anonymous says:

I am in the business and have been on this roof during construction. I still think it is a huge undertaking although green roof of significant size is no longer scarce in Vancouver new builidings especially in government funded building . Green roofs like this aims at regulating the temperature of the city by eliminating highly heat concentrated broad roofs for buildings like this. The plant types there are tolerant to drought and heavy rain like that of Vancouver.

Downside? The plants looks nothing like what you and me would like to plant at home. They are ugly in close look and are prome to damage by foot traffic.
I don't think it is a good idea to take public tours up there for a picnic. For that, I'd prefer Queen Elizabeth Park!

jump to top Vancouverer says:

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