- The Vancouver Convention Centre West is located in Vancouver, Canada and has achieved LEED Platinum certification. - It utilizes the local climate and geography through strategies like a green roof, natural ventilation from eastern winds, and using seawater for heating and cooling. - The building's water system incorporates rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, and an on-site wastewater treatment plant to reduce potable water usage by 73%.

1. Vancouver
Convention
Centre WestVancouver, Canada
LEED Certified Platinum
Climate and Metrics
• Precipitation
- Average yearly rainfall of 44 inches
- The most amount of rainfall is in November with 6.58 inches
- The least amount of rainfall is in July with 1.42 inches
• Temperature
- Record high of 93.9°F
- Record low of -17.8°F
• Sunlight
- An average of 2,000 hours of sunlight per year
• Total EUI: 35kBtu/sf/yr Net EUI: 35kBtu/sf/yr
Wind Direction:
- East

2. • Vancouver has a mild climate, with warm summers and wet winters
• The structure is located on the south side harbor which providing cooling air from the east
• The Vancouver Convention Centre West is situated in an cool temperate west forest biome according to the
Holdridge life zones system of bioclimate classification
• Sheltered by the mountains of Vancouver Island to the west the site has considerably less precipitation and more
sunshine in comparison to other coastal areas in BC
Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges
• Early and afternoon sun are solar
challenges
• Shading
• Storm water management during
heavy precipitation in winter
Opportunities
• Maximizing sunlight collection
for passive systems
• Utilizing the climate’s higher
precipitation for irrigation
• Utilizing the eastern winds off the
harbor as natural ventilation
• Using renewable hydroelectricity
to power sea water pumps for
heating and cooling

3. Site and Landscape
• Located on the south side of Coal
Harbor on the fringe of a dense urban
core
• Former marine industrial site, mostly
contaminated ground, and covered with
cement
• An annual salmon migration takes place
along the edge of the harbor
• The harbor has both air and water traffic
from float planes, boats, and ships.
Noise pollution from the harbor is a
factor

4. Active
• The interior is fitted
throughout with CO2, VOC,
and humidity sensors
• These can be monitored in
conjunction with airflow,
temperature, and lighting
controls to optimize air quality
room by room
• Heating and cooling system
that uses harbor water
Passive and Active Mechanical Systems
Passive
• The west façade of the building
includes operable windows
and doors
• Dampers at the roof soffit allow
natural ventilation supporting
healthy indoor air
• The artificial reef design creates
a tidal zone underneath the
building that flushes each day
with the rise and fall of the tide

5. Active
• Hand held devices allow control of
individual light fixtures with different
presets for a variety of event types
• Daylighting and occupancy sensors
reduce the lighting loads
• All lights are cut-off to ensure the
building minimizes light pollution
Passive and Active Electrical and Lighting
Systems
Passive
• Ultra-clear structural glass skin
surrounds the building allowing
extensive daylight to permeate the
building
• Shading overhangs

6. Water System
• Design strategies achieve a 73% reduction in
potable water consumption utilizing low-flow
fixtures and low-volume flushing
• No potable water is used for irrigation
• On site wastewater treatment plant treats 100%
of graywater and blackwater to tertiary
standards
• Reclaimed water meets the buildings irrigation
and flushing needs for nine months of the year
• During droughts deferred scheduling ensures
all irrigation demands are met
• Landscaping and the green roof 60% of the
site’s stormwater runoff
• All non-absorbed stormwater is directly
deposited into the harbor
• Sewage is treated on-site using a bioreactor
with an ultraviolet membrane
• The building uses the constant temperature of the
seawater for the heat-pump to cool it during the
warmer months and heat it during the cooler
months
• Direct seawater cooling will cool the building in
intermediate months

7. • The Water System is integral in the design of the convention center
• The salt water pump is used for both the heating and cooling systems
• Produces both “free cooling” in summer with 2,100 tons of chilling water
and produces 1,300 tons of heating (21 mil BTU/hr) in winter
• Without this, the building must seek an alternative source of heating and
cooling which may not be as effective or conserve as much energy
lowering their Platinum rating
• The on-site treatment facility and desalination system allows wastewater
to be reused other non-potable water functions
• The system connects to the green roof for irrigation, without this system
the green roof may have to rely on other means of irrigation such as use of
potable water and natural rainfall
Integrated Design Example

8. Resources
http://www.aiatopten.org/node/105
ehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Vancouver
http://vancouver.weatherstats.ca/charts/rain-1year.html
http://www.vancouverconventioncentre.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/vancouver-
convention-centre_sustainability-fact-sheet_final.pdf
http://www.vancouver.climatemps.com/
http://www.hellobc.com/vancouver-coast-mountains/climate-weather.aspx
http://www.livingin-canada.com/climate-vancouver.html
http://www.sustainabilitysolutions.ca/projects/vancouver-convention-centre-west-leed-
platinum/241
http://lmnarchitects.com/assets/work/vancouver_convention_centre_west/pdfs/2011%20
VCECE%20Press%20Kit.pdf
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/69/12/fe/vancouver-convention.jpg
http://buildipedia.com/images/masterformat/Channels/Go_Green/Case_Study_Vancouv
er_Convention_Centre/Project_Overview/4206461947_d1b89c414c_b.jpg
Critical Evaluation
• The designers of the Vancouver Convention Centre West achieved their goal of creating a
habitat that caters to landscapes, humans, and marine life
• The six acre green roof is aesthetically pleasing as well as functional in reducing energy
waste
• The site walls are made of wood endemic to British Columbia
• In these ways the designers have created a building that eliminates unnecessary waste
• With their building the designers created a focal point of the harbor that truly knits with the
downtown core and educates visitors about the beauty and versatility of sustainable design
• I feel that this building design would only be feasible in a climate that has heavy
precipitation and is located on the cusp of a water source as it is integral to the buildings
heating and cooling systems. I don’t feel his design would work well in an area with low
precipitation or an arid area that is prone to drought.
• The systems themselves are practical if the location is correct. This building is specifically
designed to be efficient in the climate and area it is in. I feel in a drier more arid climate the
green roof would suffer from lack of irrigation and the seawater heat pump would be
useless if not connected to the sea or at least a larger body of freshwater if possible (I am not
sure if freshwater/saltwater heat pumps are interchangeable).
• I do feel though, that if certain tweaks were implemented (considering the local materials
and plant species) over the original design and that it was connected to a large salt water
source, this building would do generally well with both its passive and active systems in
most climates.