A2: 6 Logics of Sustainability
Eco-Technic: Vancouver Convention Center
The Convention Center is an iconic component of the Vancouver skyline. Located on the Vancouver Harbor Coastline, the building plays an important role in generating economic and community benefits through the management and marketing of the province’s convention and exhibition facility. Overall, the space holds a wide variety of events, conventions, and exhibits that are beneficial and important to the local community and larger investors/corporations. Thus, a main reason for the center’s success is its ability to accommodate the needs, wants, and interests of the local community, while also providing a strong space for potential investors to gather and see what the city of Vancouver is about.
Overall, the convention center is an excellent example of how technology can be used to create a more efficient, greener, and eco-friendly building. The most prominent feature of the building is its 6-acer living roof that features over 400,000 indigenous plants and grasses. The design of the roof uses numerous technical systems that allow for natural insulation and water drainage. Additionally, the building uses a high-tech water treatment plant to recycle water and reduce usage and pollution. The water drainage from the living roof is also used in this process, further reducing the amount of resources the building needs to function. Finally, the implementation of a seawater heating/cooling system takes advantage of the adjacent seawater to produce more efficient heating/cooling throughout the year.
Brighton Park is one of the larger green spaces near the most dense part of the city. Together port authority, board of parks and recs, Squamish nation, and others we able to reintroduce a portion of the native wetlands to the Vancouver coastline. In recent years, Vancouver has faced many issues with decreasing fish populations and degradation to their marine ecosystems. In response, the park developed over 25,000 salt marsh plugs, introduced native plants and trees, and much more. The saltmarshes are a critical ecosystem for fish feeding along the shore, and the new stream connection will serve to help smaller ecosystems in the nearby area. Overall, the park is specifically designed to reintroduce native plants and species back into the environment. While doing so, it also serves as a place for people to come and be more connected with nature. While the project is not very large, it begins to address some of the fundamental issues that Vancouver wishes to tackle. Throughout the area, many different projects and preservation activities are being held to help restore the local fish species and population. The goal of these projects is to better acclimate the nature environment into the built environment and to reduce the amount of pollution and change these systems would face due to human interaction.
Eco-Centric: Brighton Park Habitat Restoration
Eco-Cultural: Niobe Memorial Garden
Vancouver has a wide diversity of cultural heritage that is celebrated though various events, festivals, and developments. Of these, one of the most popular is the Nitobe Memorial Garden that celebrates Vancouver’s Japanese culture. Overall, the park is meant to be entirely for the people of Vancouver. It is a space for locals to gather, socialize, relax, and get away from their daily lives. Additionally, the park serves to celebrate the beauty of Japanese gardening as it teaches people the significance behind its landscape design and highlights the cultural/metaphorical nature of these elements.
A common narrative for Japanese gardens is the natural and human cycles of birth, maturation, growth, and death. Here everything component is deliberately placed to convey this message to the people inhabiting it. As one progresses through the garden, they find that the space is littered with miniature representations of Japanese culture, styles, and ways of life.
Overall, there is no denying that the park is certainly beautiful and popular among the locals. In order to better understand the cultural significance of the garden, the owners handout pamphlets to anyone interested and even have a website talking about Japanese culture within the garden. However, one of the biggest issues the garden faces is getting people involved and spreading this form of cultural sustainability.
Eco - Medical: Pearson Dogwood Redevelopment
Vancouver is known for being a very user friendly city. Over the past few decades, the city has gone to great lengths to improve the walking and biking conditions in the downtown area. Additionally, they reduced the amount of car traffic that was directed to the city making it much safer.
Having downtown areas become accessible through walking, biking, and public transportation is a crucial factor for the cities success. It encourages people to get out more and become more involved.. It also promotes local businesses and social gatherings as more people are flocking to the city instead of simply driving by.
Eco-Aesthetic: Hinge Park
Hinge park was a more political movement for the city of Vancouver to spread awareness of green infrastructure as a possible solution to the common flooding that was happening throughout the city. This park was constructed in a key part of the city that was highly used by the public. It was also apart of a new addition during the Olympics which allowed it to gain much more attention that usual.
This green infrastructure simulated a natural water cycle that was previously wiped away from the cities development. The incorporation of natural water cycles allowed flood water or rain water to naturally drain throughout the many waterways placed throughout the city and filter through the permeable surfaces. This meant that there was less water being clogged in the streets and going through the cities water treatment facilities.
Learn More: https://www.outdoorproject.com/habitat-island-hinge-park
Eco-Social: Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center
This education center is dedicated to teaching people all about the environment and what we can do to help protect, preserve, and grow our local ecosystems. Columbia Sprigs works hands on with children and teens to help grow the next generations appreciation for our environments and ecosystems. Here, kids can learn all about the importance of wildlife ecosystems in a fun and engaging manner.
Aside from raising future generations to be more eco-friendly and environmentally aware, Columbia Springs is also a nonprofit that is actively involved in the Vancouver community. They hold a wide variety of events, gatherings, projects, and more to help raise awareness and take action in protecting the environment all around Vancouver.
Learn More: https://www.columbiasprings.org/
