Green Roof Tour of Vancouver’s Broadway Tech Centre

Perfect weather, great turnout make tour a hit

Thank you to tour leaders Randy Sharp and Karen Liu for guiding an interested and varied group of local professionals through the Broadway Tech Centre’s beautiful and varied extensive and intensive green roofs on both ground level and rooftops.

 

Lesser Known Public Spaces and Walkways

The group enjoyed the lush and colouful plantings, the waterfalls, fountains and several public realm spaces that are lesser known to the wider community.

 

Green roofs and how they help manage stormwater

There was particular interest in learning more about the lightweight and “soilless” green roof system used on the BTC rooftops and how they can help manage 10 million litres of stormwater runoff per year.  Thank you to our participants that included designers, engineers, planners and roofers who asked great questions and made for an interesting discussion about the landscape design process and the technologies used to transform what was once a 17 acre brownfield into one of Vancouver’s most sustainable communitities.

Relaxing Lunch on BTC’s Patio Caps off a Perfect Morning

After the tour, we seized the summer-like day and lunched outdoors at a convenient spot on BTC’s south side near Renfrew Station. Several food trucks and local eateries cater to the Art Institute and surrounding office buildings offering a great choice for an enjoyable bite. This energetic and colourful public space is nestled in among green spaces and surrounded by fountains and waterfalls that provide a pleasing soundscape anytime of day.  Can’t wait for the next tour.

Please see more images below of particpants examining the green roof system, taking photos and notes.