On Friday, my last day in Vancouver, we were treated at work to a field trip. We were told we were going for a tour of newly-opened Vancouver Convention Centre. I didn’t know what the big deal was until I saw it.
Photo credit: www.vancouverconventioncentre.com
The place was massive and very impressive. Just look at the size of that long and winding couch.
Yes, I did try it out in case you're wondering. How can I not?
The thing that struck me the most was how everything in this building was well thought out from top to bottom. It is one of the one of the greenest convention centres in the world due to a number of sustainable practices and environmentally-conscious design features.
The six-acre ‘living roof’ is the largest green roof in Canada and the West building features more than 400,000 indigenous plants and four beehives. The honey they collect from the beehives is used in the meals they prepare for guests.
Photo credit: www.vancouverconventioncentre.com
Talk about a recycling program -- a bin for organics!
Another thing you can’t help but notice here are the wood-paneled walls that are made to look like stacks of lumber in a yard. We were told that all these wood panels used were from reclaimed lumber.
One of the conference rooms.
The even and long side.
The uneven and short side.
Our tour guide said this building is going to be the central hub for all the major broadcasting companies that will be covering the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
The views from the expansive glass windows are so breathtaking!
This spot is already taken. Windex anyone?
I can stare at this all day.
As Dr. Hannibal Lecter said "Don't stand too close to the glass Clarice."
Here’s a shot of the Exhibition Level in the lower floor. You can’t help but notice the beautiful mosaic glass tiles on the floor.
Everything is so shiny!
I love how they mixed the colours!
Our tour guide showed us one of the exhibition halls. Talk about floor space!
Hello? Where did everybody go?
If you’re setting up a booth, everything you need for power and connectivity is right under this panel.
Yup! It's their version of plug and play.
Last but not the least, a view of the terrace.
It looks like an architectural landing pad.
There was a lot more to see than what I have shown here. It is definitely one of the places to see when visiting Vancouver. They offer building tours four times a day, seven days a week.
That’s pretty much it for my Vancouver trip. Thanks a lot Deb for keeping me company, showing me around, and of course, for these wonderful gifts!
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I certainly had a great time in Vancouver. I’d say it was a good mix of business and pleasure.
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2 Comments
wow! this is one piece of architecture! very nice. i love using wood in my designs but somehow, budget costs always stop me from it.
@yed
All the timber and wood that was used in this fine piece of architecture is reclaimed. It used to be wood was pretty affordable in Philippines. So I guess it’s not the case anymore?