Greenroofs.com Projects - Vancouver Olympic Village (Millennium Water)

Vancouver Olympic Village (Millennium Water)

Millennium Water Model, corner Ontario & First Ave; Images Courtesy NATIONAL Public Relations; Credit: Danny Singer

Project Name: Vancouver Olympic Village (Millennium Water)
Year: Current
Owner: The City of Vancouver
Location: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Building Type: Multi-Family Residential
Greenroof Type: Extensive & Intensive
Greenroof System: Custom
Roof Size: 80729 sq.ft.
Roof Slope: 2%
Access: Accessible, Private
Submitted by: Greenroofs.com

Designers/Manufacturers of Record:
Developer: Millennium Development Corporation
Extensive Greenroof System: Xero Flor Canada
Roofing Contractor: Topline Roofing

Millennium Water Model; Images Courtesy NATIONAL Public Relations; Credit: Danny Singer

Millennium Water Model, view east from Columbia St.; Images Courtesy NATIONAL Public Relations; Credit: Danny Singer

Millennium Water Model, southwest view; Images Courtesy NATIONAL Public Relations; Credit: Danny Singer

Greenroofs are slated for 50% coverage for the Vancouver Olympic Village in Southeast False Creek, hosting athletes for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. Millennium Development Corporation is developing the property, also known as Millennium Water. Millennium Group is working with the City of Vancouver to develop the first phase of Southeast False Creek (SEFC) that will be home to Vancouver’s last downtown waterfront community and the Olympic Village during the 2010 Winter Games. Set for completion in October of 2009, the new 14 acre landmark development, Millennium Water, will be an urban centre for residential, commercial/retail and public use and a ground breaking sustainable community that will set a precedent for future projects in Canada and North America. Please find below an overview of Millennium Water’s proposed green roof program:

The proposed green roof program is slated for 50% planted roofs.

The intent of the green roofs on this project are to reduce the heat island effect of urban development, provide plants to clean the air and add oxygen and provide improved views from adjacent taller buildings.

The green roofs provide minor storm water management benefits and they are sloped to drain.

Greenroof Type and Size: Millennium Water will have both extensive (7,500 sq m) and intensive green roofs (9,000 sq m), and urban agriculture (855 sq m).

Greenroof System: Millennium Water will use a basic roof buildup of water proofing, drainage filter, and growing medium.

Roof Slope: Most of the green roofs are flat and the structural slab is sloped to drain at 2 per cent. The green roof on the community centre is sloped to the west.

Access: Access is generally for maintenance only.

Millennium Water Model, north view; Images Courtesy NATIONAL Public Relations; Credit: Jonathan Cruz

However, due to insurance worries, doubt now looms on the horizon - read these various articles:

April 19, 2007: "Insurance concerns threaten green roofs," in the Georgia Straight, by Matthew Burrows here.

April 14, 2007: "BC insurers refuse to cover green roofs- Warning leaves Olympic village project and dozens of other development plans in limbo," from Canada.com, by Frances Bula of CanWest News Service here. Do you have a comment? Post it in the Forums News & Events section.

On March 7, 2006 Helena Grdadolnik, see below, writes, "Construction for Southeast False Creek's infrastructure is already underway and includes progressive solutions for conserving energy and water resources: heating through ground-source as well as heat transfer from insulated high temperature sewer lines, green roofs for 50 percent of the development and a high percentage of native vegetation, some of which will act to collect and clean storm water in combination with swales along the north-south streets. Many new ideas are being tested on the site, including a pilot project for collecting compost from residents (as is now commonplace in Toronto), a vessel composter for the park board land and, most importantly, a new green building strategy."

Additional thumbnail photos:

Millennium Water Model, northeast view; Images Courtesy NATIONAL Public Relations; Credit: Danny Singer

Thank you to Millennium Development Corporation for providing photos of the models (March 15, 2007); Photo Credits: Danny Singer and Jonathan Cruz. Download a Photo Fact Sheet PDF here, and for questions regarding the Vancouver Olympic Village, please contact Millennium Development Corporation at: http://www.millenniumdevelopment.com/. Read the February 16, 2008 Globe and Mail article by Hadani Ditmars "How green was my valet parking" here, and the March 7, 2006 The Tyee article by Helena Grdadolnik "Our World Class Olympic Village?" here.

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