Vancouver - British Columbia

The Vancouver Aquarium is a world leader in marine display, education, research and conservation

The Discovery Edsucation Centre consists of a 50,000 square foot cast-in-place, four-storey structure, including two floors below grade.  Facilities comprise an innovative gallery space featuring new animals and state-of-the-art interactive technology, an 1,800 sq. ft. multipurpose theatre, a hands-on teaching/public “wet lab”, two classrooms, an expanded children’s discovery play area (Clownfish Cove), an environmental newsroom, new technology to broadcast live presentations and operate distance education programs and office spaces for 80 to 90 people.
Designed to LEED Gold sustainable building practices it includes a unique in-slab seawater radiant heating and cooling system, as well as a rainwater harvesting collection and reuse system.  A living green wall will help insulate the building and use runoff water from the roof.
Immediately adjacent to the existing two-storey 1960’s facility, the project involved challenging underpinning work over much of the perimeter.

Client - Vancouver Aquarium
Architect - Stantec Architecture
Budget - $18.7 million
Completed - October 2006
Award - LEED Gold Certification