Vancouver Convention Centre - West Building (Vancouver)

 congress centre, exhibition centre

The West Building of the Vancouver Convention Centre began construction in November 2004 and opened on April 4, 2009. It has a floor area of 340,839 sq ft (31,665 sq m). The structure was built on the waterfront beside Canada Place and ts site is made of 60% land and 40% water. The designer was DA/MCM + LMN Architects. it was originally budgeted at $495,000,000, but its final cost escalated to 883,000,000.

The West Building features a living roof with native plants and an apiary housing 60,000 bees. It was built to LEED Gold certification standards, is designated as a PowerSmart Convention Centreby BC Hydro, and was awarded a "GO GREEN" certificate from BOMA for industry-approved environmental best practices n building management. The living roof, seawater heating and cooling on-site water treatment and fish habitat built into the building's foundation mae it on of the greenest convention centres in the world. The building recycles an average of 180,000 kilograms of materials annually. It avoids canned goods, disposable utensils and dishes, and donates leftover food to local charities.

During the 2010 Winter Olympics, the West Building served as the International Broadcast Centre.