Vancouver, BC

Our Role: Sustainability consultants

Client: British Columbia Pavilion Corporation

Budget: $883 million

Size: 1.2 million ft2

The Project: 

Vancouver Convention Centre is one of Canada's largest convention centres. It served as the Media Press Centre for the 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2002, and again in 2008, the VCEC was awarded the International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC) "Apex Award" for the "World's Best Congress Centre.

Innovations and Achievements: 

Site

• Former marine industrial area, mostly contaminated and covered with cement.
• Created a habitat skirt which provides new habitat for marine flora and fauna through carefully designed shelves located at different depths in the intertidal zone. It is home to barnacles, mussels, seaweed, starfish, crabs and in particular Salmon.
• Building includes a 6 acre living roof and an overall decrease in site imperiousness by 35%. The living roof includes 400,000 plants, all native species. Irrigation is provided by treated black-water from on-site.  
• All lights are cut-off to ensure that the building minimizes light pollution.

• Achieved an energy efficiency rating of 65% better than the Model National Energy Code for Buildings.
• Peripheral spaces are passively ventilated.
• Air conditioning is reduced by 30% due to an in-slab radiant heating/cooling system fed by ocean water through twin heat pumps, which also heat the building. 
• South and west facing building facades use solar shading systems.
• Natural lighting is used throughout the building in rooms such as the ball room and meeting rooms (unusual for convention centers).

• Sewage is treated on-site using a bioreactor system with an ultraviolet membrane. 
• Over 16 million litres of greywater are reused annually in the toilets. 
• Blackwater is treated to tertiary standards and discharged into the ocean.
• Reduced water consumption by 73% over the base case.