Building Vancouver Convention Centre West (LCCW) involved integrating a 22-acre site to create a fluid transition between the urban fabric, pedestrian paths and the harbor. The main feature of the project is a multi-level 6-acre living roof that blurs the boundary between landscape and architecture. Planted with approximately 400,000 native plants and grasses and inhabited by 240,000 bees, the green roof also helps mediate exterior temperatures, and infiltrate stormwater. An onsite wastewater treatment plant plus low flow fixtures and greywater irrigation has reduced the convention centre’s potable water usage by 73%.
Daylighting, radiant floor heating, natural ventilation and high performance energy systems reduce overall electricity demand. The convention centre also includes an underwater habitat and artificial reef as part of the building’s foundation to create a habitat for barnacles, mussels, seaweed, starfish, crabs and various marine species. New pedestrian paths and public plazas were also created to help integrate the convention center more fully into the urban context.
“It is an honor to be recognized at the national level by what many consider to be the top award program for sustainable design excellence,” notes LMN Design Partner Mark Reddington, FAIA. “The Vancouvercommunity’s commitment to sustainability allowed us to develop a rich and diverse integration of the building program, natural ecology, local culture and urban context, and weave them together into a unified vision of sustainability.”
Images ©LMN & Nic Lehoux Photography
