Living Roof

greenroofA friend and I were strolling along the waterfront downtown recently and I caught my first glimpse of the new-ish Vancouver Convention Centre green roof. I had never seen it from this angle. How wonderful that you can actually see this roof, unlike the one on the library that only an exclusive few ever get to see. This six-acre green or living roof (more like a living wall!) as they call it, is also home to four beehives and is a sanctuary for other beneficial insects and songbirds. PWL Partnership Landscape Architects designed the roof, the firm that also created some of the beautiful naturescape work at Olympic Village.

According to the convention centre’s website, the landscapers use no herbicides or pesticides to maintain it and give it a good haircut once a year. The living roof, the largest in Canada by the way, is not the only green feature on this impressive building; seawater provides heating and cooling, waste water is treated on site, and there’s a built-in fish habitat. The location is pretty spectacular too, right on the water and steps from Bella Gelateria, for additional cooling.

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