Vancouver, British Columbia, Kanada
Library Square offers a new concept of greening tall public buildings with an inaccessible green roof that is visible from the surrounding high-rise buildings. The 3,000-square-meter roof of the library is planted with grasses and groundcovers. The view from the windows of neighbouring offices shows the roof garden of the library with its plantings, their changing patterns of light and shadow, and the effects of the seasons and the wind. The blue-green low-maintenance planting is the result of extensive research of waterproof membranes, drainage material, appropriate lightweight growing medium, and plants that can flourish under these extreme conditions. Over 16,000 grass plugs and 26,000 groundcovers were individually planted in sweeping curves to simulate the Fraser River as it flows through the Greater Vancouver Regional District. The green roof offers many benefits beyond giving pleasure to the eye for the people in the surrounding buildings: retention of stormwater, reduction of the heat island effect, and improved insulating and cooling of the building. The green roof also provides biodiversity and attracts wildlife.
At the street level, two plazas integrate into the fabric of the city. The flow through the colonnade opens up at the corner of Homer and Robson Streets with a curving, stepped amphitheatre, which then spills out onto the street. The generous, sunny steps entice visitors to stop and enjoy the colour and activity of the street, as well as any impromptu theatre taking place in the performance area of the wide set-back. The corner between Georgia and Homer Streets, on the other hand, is more dignified. Its elegant curve of the arcade sculpts the plaza and invites visitors to discover the treasures inside this landmark building.
State-of-the-art technology has been used in planting large-caliper tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera), around Library Square to define the streets with a leafy canopy.
Galerie
Vancouver, British Columbia, Kanada
