Serious Architecture I - The Marine
Building & Canada Place
-
courtesy
Tourism Vancouver
with additional material from GayVancouver.Net
Dressed
in stunning terracotta finery, the 25-storey Marine Building (355 Burrard
Street at Hastings) soars above this corporate corner to provide occupants with
a stunning, sweeping vista of the Port of Vancouver on three sides, and the
powerful glass towers of the city's economic centre on the fourth.
It was the tallest building in the British Empire when it was
designed by McCarter & Nairne and completed in 1929. Among the first occupants
was Guinness boss A.J. Taylor, who set up a lavish penthouse pied a terre, which
his terrified-of-heights wife made him abandon. It's still there, peeking out
above the classical lines and elegant swirls that have placed this building in
the pantheon of art deco architecture.
A
relief frieze layered around the base and studded with sea fauna celebrates the
city's marine heritage. Panels around the building depict the development of
transportation. The main entrance with double revolving doors is surrounded by
brass bas-relief castings of starfish, crabs, seashells and snails. A 12-metre
(40-foot) terra cotta arch shows off the history of sail on the Pacific Coast on
one side, and the story of steam power on the other. Stylized bronze Canada
Geese wing their way in formation through the rays of a rising sun. Awash in
aqua-green and blue, the lobby is designed to resemble a huge, treasure-filled
Mayan temple.
Just
a stone throw away from the Marine Building lies Canada Place and the
Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre (999 Canada Place Way).
It's admired for its graceful appearance; the effect is a huge
sailing ship with prow jutting into Burrard Inlet. It's one of the most famous
buildings in Vancouver and it's also one of the most versatile. No other local
landmark could play host to 18 heads of state, 3,000 cruise ships and
Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, all within the same year.
The
five stylized masts, used to provide a huge interior area free of support
structures, are a visual riff copied around the world, even if few recognize the
home city. It was designed by a collaboration of three firms: the Musson Cattell
Mackey Partnership; Downs/Archambault Architects and the Ziedler Roberts
Partnership.
It began life as the Canadian Pavilion for Expo 86, then
became the Vancouver Trade & Convention Centre in 1987, and is now called the
Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre (VCEC.) This leviathan, which was built
for $144.8 million, encloses an all-star team of local tourism. It also tucks in
a cruise terminal, convention centre and an IMAX cinema beneath its gleaming
white roof, designed like five majestic sails.
Ground has been broken for expansion of the Vancouver
Convention and Exhibition Centre. This follows the site being granted all the
required environmental permits, allowing construction to start on schedule. Pile
driving on the site started in mid-October 2004. The expanded convention and
exhibition centre is expected to be completed in 2008, and will function as the
media centre for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The expansion
will more than triple the centre's total function space.
The expansion to the VCEC will also have the unexpected
benefit of adding more green space to the city. The expansion will sport a 2.4
hectare roof, covered in grass and wild flowers, and will be the largest green
roof in Canada. Apart from the aesthetic appeal of the green roof, it also has
environmental benefits as it insulates the building and produces savings on
heating and cooling. Furthermore, it reduces glare from the building and will
create a self-sustaining bird habitat.
