Architectural Topography
The West Building is a marvel of "folded" architecture, designed by LMN Architects to mimic the jagged profile of the North Shore Mountains. It integrates 1.2 million square feet of program space directly into the Coal Harbour waterfront, blurring the line between the city and the ocean with its floor-to-ceiling glass curtain walls.
Olympic Legacy
Commissioned as the International Broadcast Centre for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the facility supported the broadcast of the games to 3.5 billion viewers. The legacy of this event remains physically present in the Olympic Cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza and the building's massive fiber-optic backbone, which allows it to host tech-heavy events like SIGGRAPH and TED.
Ecological Engineering
The VCCW is the world's first double LEED Platinum convention center. Its most striking features are the 6-acre Living Roof (the largest non-industrial green roof in North America) and the innovative seawater heating/cooling system that reduces energy use by up to 60%.
The Marine Habitat Skirt
Beneath the waterline, the building features a bio-engineered concrete "skirt" that acts as an artificial reef. This structure was specifically designed to mitigate the impact of the building's shadow, providing a migration corridor for juvenile salmon and a habitat for barnacles, mussels, and starfish.