The New Vancouver Convention Centre

The Vancouver Convention Centre West

The beautiful new expansion to the Vancouver Convention Centre certainly is a representation of the city and its values. Aspiring to be one of the "greenest" cities in the world, Vancouver's new convention centre certainly aids in that respect. The addition has added 220,500 square feet (20,490 m2) of convention space, 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) of retail space and in total as a project 14 acres (57,000 m2) of land and 8 acres (32,000 m2) over water. In times past, an expansion of this size would signify major environmental impact, however the determination and dedication of all those involved ensured the project meet LEED Platinum standards, the highest achievement from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Opened on April 4, 2009 the expansion tripled the capacity of the convention centre which fit well for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games as it hosted the International Broadcasters during that time. To date the events held have ranged from the XI International Conference on AIDS, hosting 15,000 delegates (its largest event) to a small meeting between Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton. While the convention centre provides large economic benefits to Vancouver by grossing $215 million in revenue, its significance as a landmark of Vancouver stretch more to the architecture and how it truly represents the city.

LEED Factors

LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and was formed in 1998 as a pilot program by the United States Green Building Council, and today it is an internationally recognized third party certification program. LEED promotes a holistic, whole building approach by providing independent, third party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality and innovation, as well as addressing issues specific to the project's geographic region. A project will accumulate points for the various areas within the criteria that promote green building, which will place the project into a final certification level of either LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, and LEED Platinum.

The presentation of the LEED Platinum Award

The Vancouver Convention Centre West put forth an amazing effort to reach the highest LEED certification standard of Platinum. With features such as the living roof, seawater heating and cooling, on-site water treatment and the fish habitat built into the foundation, the West Building is one of the world's most sustainable convention centres in the world. The convention centre also put into plan a large recycling program which recycles an average of 180,000 kilograms of materials each year, scoring more points with LEED.

Aerial of the Convention Centre West

Without going into too much regarding the benefits of green roofs, the West Building has Canada's largest "living roof", 6 acres in size. In keeping with LEED's promotion of the project's geographical location issues, the roof contains 400,000 plants native to coastal British Columbia. Living among the plants are 4 bee colonies of 60,000 bees each that produce honey for the convention centre below. Keeping the roof hydrated in a sustainable matter, the roof's irrigation system utilizes the treated waste water from the building's facilities (the rest of the treated water is used in the toilets and urinals for flushing).

Beekeeper checking one of the Convention Centre's hives

The building's heating and cooling system is a unique form of geothermal, using the ocean's natural temperatures to create satisfying moderate temperatures in the winter and summer. This system effectively cuts heating and cooling costs by about 30%.

As a part of the LEED's focus reducing the effect on the natural environment, the Vancouver Convention Centre West reduced some of it's negative construction impact by repairing and actually improving the waterfront's natural shoreline ecology. The artificial reef structure rings the waterfront perimeter of the building, with tiered steps housing various marine plants at depths natural for the plants. This habitat in conjunction with the created tidal ecosystem now supports the diverse natural wildlife in the harbour and even a historic salmon migration path.

These key additions have heavily reduced the impact a building of this size would have on the natural environment. The extensive planning process to achieve minimal environmental impact is evident as it still was able to produce a world-class facility that Vancouverites can be proud of. The interior has many unique details that still conform to LEED's focus on local materials, supporting the region and reducing the carbon footprint of importing items from far away.

It's All In The Details

Pine Beetle Floats:

On the west side of the building hangs three egg shaped pieces of art called "Floats". Designed by a Finnish artist, these "floats" were created using branches from pine beetle-infected forests near Merritt, BC.

East-West Directional Walls:

Contrast of the East-West walls vs the North-South walls

One thing you may notice walking into the new convention centre's West Building is the finish on the walls. On one side you have the fairly normal horizontal (and local) Hemlock slats, the other very uneven wood blocks. The connection between the two is to create the illusion of the wood running solid the entire length of the walls, while breaking the traditional slat wall appearance. It is an uncanny detail that is more impressive in person than any photo (especially on the wall next the the floats!). The walls going in the East-West direction were fairly simple to install, however on the walls running North-South a single 4ft x 8ft panel took a pair of builders 8 hours to create. In order to speed up the process a specific robotic arm was created that efficiently created 500 panels per week keeping the project on track (and perhaps saving the sanity of the builders too).

Close up of the North-South "End" Walls

The World Replica:

The first thing you may notice before even entering the new Convention Centre West building is the large globe hanging in the entrance atrium. This 16-foot diameter replica of Earth actually operates proportionately to the real thing. This unique globe was created to rotate at the same speed as the actual Earth relative to its reduced size. 

The Locating Carpet:

The Convention Centre West is a new signature building located on Vancouver's waterfront and as previously mentioned, of the building's 14-acre footprint are on land and 8 are over the water, so how is one to tell where they stand? The architects had the local carpet manufacturer design the carpet pieces to be smaller than normal tiles in order to create a better blend from brown colours to blue. The purpose of this blend is to indicate to the visitors that they are either standing over land (brown) or over the water (blue). The smaller tiles also allow the maintenance staff to sustainably replace damaged areas without ripping up the entire carpet.

Landmark

East Elevation

Playing host to a significant number of visitors each year, the convention centre is meant to be a representation of the city itself. It has become a signature landmark on the city's iconic waterfront and a place for visitors and Vancouverites alike to gather and take in all the city has to offer. It is highly recognized on the world stage as an impressive feat of sustainable architecture, and the envy of cities everywhere. The impression the facility has on its visiting delegates is a favourable one for Vancouver, as 40% of surveyed guests said they intended to return to the city within a year. Constructed of local materials and home to countless local plants and wildlife, the Vancouver Convention Centre West is not only built of all things Vancouver, but a representation of the city's green directive and a mirror of the surrounding nature. The Convention Centre West is a gathering place for tourists and delegates alike, a truly important piece of Vancouver. Its importance to the city, combined with its global architectural achievements and location on Vancouver's waterfront make the Convention Centre West a signature landmark that will be a hub for locals and visitors for years to come.