Vancouver Convention

Center
British Colombia, Canada
CASE STUDY
Architects: LMN , Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership ,
DA

Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Landscape Architect: PWL Partnership Landscape

Structural Engineer: Glotman Simpson Consulting

Engineers
1.1 Project Location

Vancouver
• Coastal seaport city
• Most populous
city in the province
• High-rise residential
and mixed – use
development in urban
centres
1.2 Geography

• Located on the Burrard Peninsula, Vancouver lies between Burrard Inlet to

the north and the Fraser River to the south. The Strait of Georgia, to the west,
is shielded from the Pacific Ocean by Vancouver Island.
• On a clear day, scenic vistas include the snow-capped volcano Mount
Baker to the southeast and Vancouver Island across the Strait of Georgia to
the west and southwest.
• Vancouver is one of Canada's warmest cities in the winter. Vancouver's
climate is temperate by Canadian standards and is usually classified
as oceanic or marine west coast.
1.3 Cityscape

• Vancouver has been ranked

one of the most livable cities in
the world for more than a
decade.
• Vancouver's characteristic
approach to urban planning
originated in the late 1950s,
when city planners began to
encourage the building of high-
rise residential towers in
Vancouver's West End, subject
to strict requirements for
setbacks and open space to
protect sight lines and
preserve green space.
1.4 project overview
The design of the new Vancouver Convention Centre
West presented an opportunity to fully engage the urban
ecosystem at the intersection of a vibrant downtown
core and one of the most spectacular natural ecosystems
in North America. Certified LEED Canada Platinum, the
project weaves together architecture, interior
architecture, and urban design in a unified whole that
functions as a living part of both the city and the harbor.
As a convention center, the building's vast program
encompasses at once a single building and a new urban
district. Occupying a former brownfield site on the
downtown waterfront, the CAN $883 million
development is approximately 14 acres on land and 8
acres over water, with 1 million square feet of
convention space, 90,000 square feet of retail space,
450 parking stalls, and 400,000 square feet of
walkways, bikeways, public open space, and plazas. An
elevated six-lane viaduct for vehicles and pedestrians
connects the site back to the city grid, while
infrastructure for further development extends into the
water, creating a base for future commercial and
recreational marinas, a float plane terminal, and water-
based retail opportunities.
1.5 Regional/Community
Design
• The design approach creates a community experience that is simultaneously a building, an
urban place, a park, and an ecosystem.

• The convention center program emphasizes spaces for both public and private events,
gatherings, and circulation.

• Urban spaces formed by the building’s landforms extend the downtown street grid to
preserve view corridors out to the water.

• Waterfront and urban pedestrian activities extend the public realm through and around
the site, with 400,000 square feet of walkways, bikeways, public open space, and plazas,
constituting the city’s first major public gathering space on the water.

• The entire perimeter enclosure is an ultra-clear glass system, which provides strong
linkages between interior and exterior public spaces, and visually reinforces the
integration of urban and waterfront context into the user experience of the building.

• The project serves as a centerpiece to Vancouver’s growing collection of urban places,

showing the city’s commitment to sustainability, reducing global warming, and
contributing to the concept of a Livable Region. Because of the project’s excellent location
in relationship to walking/ bicycling and public transportation, local shows have a very
high use of alternative transportation. Out-of-town shows typically draw patrons through
local taxi and bus transportation from airports.
1.6 Regional/Community
Design
This composite shows the convention center's placement in its urban
neighborhood.
1.7 site
 1.8 concept
• The existing waterfront park system concept was such that the building
emerges through a seamless "folded landscape," as seen in the composite
• The City of Vancouver’s above. The photo below shows how its architectural landforms and living
planners indicated they did roof build on the topography and ecology of Stanley Park, mediating
not want a design that could between the downtown core and the city's natural surroundings.
potentially ‘steal the
thunder’ of the adjacent
iconic sails of Canada Place.
• The design of the expansion
was sensitively developed as
a compliment to the
internationally recognized
image of Canada Place with
its sail-like fabric roofs.
• The desire to maintain
view corridors from the
downtown core limited the
overall building height, and has
given the project a horizontal
emphasis.
 1.9Characteristic of the project
• This connection to ‘place’ sets the project
apart from most contemporary convention
centres—a distinction that is reinforced by the
extensive use of wood on the interior.
• The wood-panelled walls that flank the pre-
function areas, banquet, and meeting rooms are
visible from the exterior and at night add warmth
to the lantern-like glow of the building as it hovers
above the water.
• The project siting and program requirements
imposed physical constraints that necessitated an
innovative response from the structural
engineers. The building is supported on more
than 1,000 piles and a concrete deck that
together allow the steel structure to bridge roads
and railroad tracks.
1.5 site content

WEST BUILDING
8,33,000 Sq feet

• EXIBITION
• PRE FUNCTION
SPACES
• BALLRPPMS
• TERRACES
• MEETING
SPACES
• OUTDOOR
PLAZA

EAST BUILDING
1.6 East Building

• The original
Vancouver Convention
and Exhibition Centre at
Canada Place opened in
July 1986 subsequent to
the building serving as
the Canada Pavilion
during Vancouver’s
Expo ‘86 World’s Fair.
• Presently this wing is
known as the east
building of the
Vancouver convention
center.
 1.7 site information
• Within 10 years the facility was operating at
capacity, and up to cad $100 million annually in
delegate spending was going elsewhere because
the facility could not meet the demand

• The 1.1 million ft C (100,000 m C) project triples

the Convention Centre’s original capacity and will
help generate an additional cad $107 million
annually in delegate spending

• The expansion will increase the number of annual

delegate days from 150,000 to nearly 370,000
within the first 5 years of operation.

• Built over land and water on some 1,000 piles, the

expansion was completed in Spring 2009. The
Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre was
the home of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic
Winter Games' media and broadcast centres.
1.9 site
• It has a visual connection —
with full-height glazed walls on
three sides—to the sweeping
water and mountain views that
extend from Stanley Park in the
west to Canada Place in the
east.

Capturing Views of the

Pacific ocean and the
Vancouver

Stanley Park with the

Background of the
convention center (Model)
1.10 Characteristic of the project

LANDSCAPE
TOPOGRAPHY HABITAT

FORM-SITE
RELATIONSHIP

HUMAN MARINE
HABITAT
HABITAT
1.11 Form site relationship
Roof’s sloping forms build on the ROCKY, UNDULATING topographic SLOPE of the
region, creating a formal connection to nearby Stanley Park and the North Shore
Mountains
1.12 Form Development
1.13 Form Development
 bicycles

cars

landscape

Sewage View
1.14 convention center

Situated on Vancouver’s waterfront with

spectacular views of mountains, ocean, and
parks, the Vancouver Convention Centre West
is designed to bring together the natural
ecology, vibrant local culture, and built
environment, accentuating their
interrelationships through the architecture.
Opened in April 2009, the Convention Centre
West expansion facility triples the total square
footage and functional capacity as well as
completes the development of the public
realm on the waterfront.
1.14 Project program
Exhibition
PROJECT SIZE
Meeting Rooms
1.2 million square feet
Ballrooms Retail
Project Program Space
•223,000 square feet of exhibition hall – 18.5 %
•60,000 square feet of meeting rooms – 5 % 31% 19% 5%
•55,000 square feet of ballroom – 4.5 % 6%
•90,000 square feet of retail space – 7.5 %
•400,000 square feet of walkways, bikeways, public
33% 9%
open space and plazas – 33.3 %
CONCEPTUAL ZONING
SITE PLAN

ENTRANCE`
PARKING
PARKING

• The Vancouver Convention Centre offers secure parking through

independent operators within both buildings. They operate 24
hours per day, 7 days a week
• WEST BUILDING- The west building has 440 stalls and is
operated by Impark.
• EAST BUILDING- The east building has 750 stalls and is operated
by West Park.
• There are also other convenient and sustainable transportation
options for getting to the Vancouver Convention Centre, including
walking, biking, or public transport.
 FLOOR PLANS
EAST AND WEST WINGS
EAST WING- CONVENTION LEVEL
 Pre-function
– 11,018 ft2 (1,024 m2) lobby and registration space
Ballrooms – 17,108 ft2 (1,589 m2) delegate concourse
– Glass-enclosed with ocean views
– 16,604 ft2 (1,542 m2)
– Fully-staffed information desk
– Divisible into three ballrooms
– Box office and coat check
– Column-free – Accessible design
– Fully carpeted – Coal Harbour Café (licenced café)
– Direct access to delegate concourse
HALL CAPACITY SIZE HEIGHT

Exhibition halls A 2250 42*50 7.6

– 91,205 ft2 (8,473 m2)
B 4500 73*50 9.5-14.5
– Divisible into three halls
C 2460 48*50 7.6
– Drive-on access through overhead doors
– Exhibition Hall A is fully carpeted A (br) 672 17*30 5.25
– Unique ‘sails’ ceiling in Exhibition Hall B B (br) 672 18*30 5.25
– Direct access to delegate concourse C (br) 576 16*30 5.25
EAST WING- MEETING LEVEL
Pre-function
– 13,240 ft2 (1,230 m2) of pre-function space
– Additional space in South Foyer
– Accessible design

Meeting rooms
– 24,865 ft2 (2,310 m2) of meeting space
– 20 fully serviced and configurable meeting rooms
– Sizes range from 500 to 6,500 ft2 (48 to 603 m2)
– Multi-purpose signature Parkview Terrace features a terrace with mountain and ocean
views
– Atrium

1. With an adjoining terrace overlooking the harbour, the Parkview Terrace room is the
perfect setting for any occasion.
2. Our pre-function spaces were designed to provide alternative areas for break-out
activities or intimate meetings.
WEST WING- EXHIBITION LEVEL
Exhibition space
–220,500 ft2 (20,485 m2) of flexible exhibition space
– Divisible into three halls – A , B and C
– 22 loading bays with dock levelers and ramps for convenient drive-on
access
– Floor load: 350 psf ( per square feet )

EXHIBITION HALL B
CAPACITY – 4883
SIZE – 73 X 92 M SQ.
HEIGHT - 9.14 M

EXHIBITION HALL C EXHIBITION HALL A

CAPACITY – 5988 CAPACITY – 4062
SIZE – 92 X 92 M SQ. EXHIBITION EXHIBITION EXHIBITION SIZE – 60 X 92 M SQ.
HEIGHT - 9.14 M HALL B3 HALL B2 HALL B1 HEIGHT - 9.14 M
CAPACITY – CAPACITY – CAPACITY –
1221 1832 1832
SIZE – 18 X SIZE – 27 X SIZE – 27 X
92 M SQ. 92 M SQ. 92 M SQ.
HEIGHT - HEIGHT - HEIGHT -
9.14 M 9.14 M 9.14 M

ENTRANCE LOBBY
WEST WING- EXHIBITION LEVEL

SERVICE
WASHROOOMS ELEVATORS

PUBLIC ELEVATORS TRUCK ROUTE

REGISTRATION ENTRANCE LOBBY

SUPPORT

ESCALATORS
WET WING- LEVEL 1
ARCHITECTURAL PLAN OF LEVEL 1
 Meeting rooms
– 20,952 ft2 (1,947 m2) of
meeting space
– 22 fully serviced and
configurable
meeting rooms
– Sizes range from 434 to 4,680 ft2 BALLROO CAPACITY SIZE HEIGHT
(40 to 435 m2) M
Ballrooms A 1680 26*51 16.75
– 52,668 ft2 (4,893 m2) of
ballroom space B 1680 27*51 16
– Divisible into four ballrooms
C 1680 27*51 13.3
– Ballroom D offers ocean and
mountain views D 895 15*51 10.5
Pre-function
– 82,000 ft2 (7,600 m2) of pre-
function space
– Ocean views and outdoor terrace
– Fully staffed information desk at
Burrard Street entrance
– Accessible design
WEST WING- LEVEL 2

Meeting rooms
– 29,564 ft2 (2,745 m2)
of meeting space
– 24 fully serviced and
configurable meeting
rooms
– Sizes range from 758 to
7,594 ft2 (70 to 706
m2)

Pre-function
– 42,116 ft2
(3,872 m2)
of
pre-function space
– Outdoor terrace with
ocean views
– Views of living roof
– Accessible design
WEST WING- LEVEL 3
Meeting rooms
– 8,810 ft2 (818 m2) of meeting
space
– Six fully serviced and configurable
meeting rooms with spectacular
harbour and mountain views
– Sizes range from 636 ft2 to 6,504
ft2 (59 to 604 m2)

Pre-function
– 5,877 ft2 (546 m2) of pre-function
space
– Natural light and breathtaking
views
– Outdoor terrace with ocean
view
– Views of living roof
– Accessible design

Living roof
– A unique, six acre (2.4 hectare)
living roof featuring a variety of
400,000 indigenous plants and
SECTIONS
CONCEPTUAL SECTION
• Ball rooms
• Exhibition hall
• Steel case event experiences pre functions area
• Pre function spaces
• Meeting room
Outdoor plazas
SERVICES
Radiant flooring is used in the bulk of the program spaces, creating superior air
circulation without significant energy use.
With an ultra-clear structural glass skin on all sides, extensive daylight and
views set up an extroverted, community-friendly relationship and maximize
the use of natural daylight in the building’s public spaces.

The west facade of the building also includes operable windows and doors
with dampers at the roof soffit, allowing natural ventilation under appropriate
conditions.
ANTHROPOMETRICS
UNDERSTANDING SPACES IN HUMAN
SCALE
SALIENT FEATURES
LANDSCAPE HABITAT
The project employs a wide range of green strategies, including on-site water treatment, deep seawater
cooling and heating, and a giant skirt designed to help restore the local fish habitat, the single most visible
component of the environmental strategy is the building’s living roof.

The most visible evidence of the project’s deep approach to ecology is its living roof. The slopes set up
natural drainage and seed migration patterns for the roof’s ecology.

The living matter of the roof forms the terminus of a chain of waterfront parks that rings the harbor and
creates continuous habitat between the Convention Center and Stanley Park.

Canada’s largest green roof.

 Shallow, sloping roof planes supports the extensive green roof to create an
architectural landform that is an appropriate visual connection between the city and
its natural context
 The living roof has been designed to imitate Pacific Northwest Coastal grassland.

The roof has been landscaped with more than 400,000 indigenous plants and grasses
from the region [from 25 different species] that provide natural habitat to birds, insects and
small mammals.
 ROOF FEATURES

•Water evaporation from the growing medium and

transpiration from the plants contribute to the reduction
of building heat gain.

•It is projected that VCCEP’s green roof will reduce summer

heat gain by as much as 26%.

•In addition to these building-related benefits, a living roof

can provide significant improvements to storm water
management by detaining runoff and reducing peak
flows.

•Urban air quality is also improved as the living roof traps

airborne particles and the plants absorb carbon dioxide
and release oxygen.
MARINE HABITAT
Along the perimeter facing the water, an artificial concrete reef drops below the public
way .The reef is designed in collaboration with marine biologists and consultants to
function ecologically as part of the natural shoreline.
 An underwater habitat skirt or artificial reef that is part of the centre’s foundation is
providing a new habitat for barnacles, mussels, seaweed, starfish, crabs and various
fish species.

The five-tiered underwater structure looks like a set of bleachers, consisting of 76

concrete frames weighing more than 36 tons each.

The structure creates tidal zones underneath the building that flush daily with the rise
and fall of the tide.
• An innovative water conservation and reuse strategy that
is projected to reduce potable water
use by 60 to 70 percent over typical convention centres.

Water conservation and reuse features

include:

Black water treatment, processes the building’s sewage

water, to provide about 80 percent of the gray water needs
for toilet flushing in the building and supplemental water for
irrigation of the living roof.

A desalinization plant that draws water from the harbour

and processes it to meet additional
non-potable water demands.

A sea water heat pump system that takes advantage of

the constant temperature of adjacent seawater to maintain
thermal comfort. Back-up heat is provided by steam when
needed.
HUMAN HABITAT
Addressing the human environment, the
architectural approach creates a public
experience that is simultaneously a
building, an urban place, a park, and an
ecosystem.

Urban spaces formed by the building’s

landforms extend the downtown street grid
to preserve view corridors out to the
water.
The convention centre program emphasizes spaces for both public and private
events, gatherings, and circulation.
INDOOR-OUTDOOR Waterfront and urban pedestrian
CONNECTIVITY activities extend the public
realm through and around the
site

The entire perimeter enclosure is an

ultra-clear glass system, which
provides strong linkages between
interior and exterior public spaces,
and visually reinforces the integration
of urban and waterfront context into
the user experience of the building.
An elevated 6-lane viaduct for vehicles and pedestrians connects the site back to
the city grid,
while infrastructure for further development extends into the water, creating a base
for future commercial and recreational marinas, a float plane terminal, and water-
based retail opportunities.
S

T
R

D
U

E
C
ALS
USED
Local materials used including locally harvested Douglas fir and
Hemlock wood finishes .
• WOOD
• GLASS
• COLUMNS
• FRAME
• TRUSS
• FINISHING
MATERIAL

• CURTAIN WALLS • INTERIOR WALLS

• WINDOWS • FINISHING
• DOORS
• RAILINGS MATERIAL
• BEAMS
• STEEL
T

L
G L A S S
W O O D

• The dimensional
characteristics of lumber are
used to aesthetic
advantage in some of the
building’s wall surfaces.
• Hemlock lumber (also
harvested locally) was cut
into blocks and
assembled into a
textured, geometric
pattern which was applied
along the elevator corridor
and other large public
• A traditional interior finish material,
was used in a contemporary way
for the Convention Centre.
• Douglas fir slats (harvested
locally) run along the underside of
the roof plane.
-Their lines help articulate shifts in
slope, even from vantage points far
outside the building envelope, since
they are visible through the
glass curtain walls.
- They also provide a sense of
scale for large interior floor spaces
below.
Lumber (American English; timber in Australian English, British English, Hiberno-English,
and New Zealand English) is wood that has been processed into beams and planks, a
stage in the process of wood production.Lumber may be supplied either rough-sawn, or
surfaced on one or more of its faces.
STRUCTURAL SOLUTIONS
CHALLENGE - 1. To accommodate up to 15,000 visitors at once, with capacity
for 5,000 people for dinner, large spaces and open volumes of building were
indispensable.
2. To avoid blocking the view of residents in nearby high-rise
buildings, the roof height was restricted, leaving minimum depth for structure.

SOLUTION – 1. Regular bays of multi storey trusses, some

nearly 100 ft tall, and beams anchored to eccentric braced bays 3D Steel model was given to the
for seismic resistance. steel fabricator for their use in
commencing the shop drawing
2. To optimize depth and achieve long span model

with heavy loading, a unique layout of multiple story-deep

trusses was used to accommodate door openings and
passageways suitable to the building function.
LEANING COLUMNS
An interesting challenge in a seismic region
• Eccentric braced bays were chosen for lateral
. load resistance but like all steel bracing
systems they need to be free to yield equally
in each direction to dissipate seismic energy
and allow flexibility without failure.

Braced bays have very

heavy force transfer to the
marine deck. Glotman
• Gravity induced lateral forces from leaning
Simpson required steel
templates for all anchor columns at 27% of the gravity load are
bolts, and heavy anchor substantially greater than the associated
systems to be cast into the seismic forces and would cause progressive
marine deck. yielding in only one direction -- an
unacceptable result in seismic loading.
To solve the problem, Glotman Simpson devised a UNIQUE
diagonal brace with a linear spring composed of a series of disc
spring washers that could sustain the leaning column lateral forces
and yet allow movement without becoming fully taut or loose at
each end of the sway.
While perfectly balancing the load (confirmed by test), the brace
force increases as the building sways toward the leaning
column direction and reduces when the building sways Series of disc spring washers
opposite.
The variation in sway force provides a net correcting force
serving as
a self centering seismic resisting mechanism for the building.
The brace, acting independent of the seismic eccentric braces,
allows the eccentric braces to function effectively and,
additionally, provides a self centering force to improve the
performance of the building. Linear spring
Self centering technologies are some of the newest research topics
in the seismic area today and the new convention centre can now
benefit from a self centering solution unique in the world of
buildings. Patent applications are in process on this technology.
Inferenc
e
THANK YOU

PRESENTED BY:
JAYATI CHABBRA- BA13ARC022
MANOGNA K- BA13ARC023
MANSI RAWAT- BA13ARC028
NAMRATA SOMANI-BA13ARC032
GOUTHAMI POOJARI- BA13ARC033
PRANJAL RAJ SINGH- BA13ARCO36
REBECCA SABU- BA13ARC
038