2004 – City of Vancouver National Works Yard, British Columbia

Architect: Omicron

Photograph Courtesy and Copyright of Derek Lepper - dereklepper.com

Photograph Courtesy and Copyright of Derek Lepper - dereklepper.com

This 12-acre Engineering Operations Facility is the City of Vancouver’s pilot initiative to promote sustainable design practices. The City’s leadership and level of commitment to sustainable principles is reflected in the design expertise employed and the application of sound environmental building practices, which culminated in two of the facility’s buildings achieving LEED® Gold Certification. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. The National Works Yard Administrative Centre and Parking Operations Building are the first buildings in Canada to receive LEED Gold Certification from the Canadian Green Building Council under LEED BC criteria.

The new yard incorporates the operations of eight City branches along with associated administrative support for the facility. The facility comprises a technically complex program including an Administration Centre, Garage and Radio Shop, Parking Operations, Warehouses, Car Wash and Fuelling Station. Approximately 400 employees will be based out of the yard and its design has the capability to accommodate reasonable growth of the respective operations over the next 10 to 20 years. Manitoba Yard will remain in operation, continuing as the centre for Equipment Services, Sewer, Water and Sanitation operations along with an administrative centre.