VanDusen Botanical Garden's new visitors' centre is a living building.
At the next meeting of the Bowen Island Garden Club on Tuesday, April 16, at 1 p.m. at the Gallery at Artisan Square,VanDusen's education director Gillian Drake will present a (slightly technical) tour of the many sustainability features of the new visitors centre, and explain what a living building is.
The visitors' centre easily falls into the green building category and was designed to meet LEED Platinum standards and the Living Building Challenge. This stunning structure uses geothermal and solar energy, captures rainwater to flush the toilets and has perennial grasses and bulbs growing on the roof. The planting strategy for the site was inspired by the historical journals of botanist Archibald Menzies with Captain George Vancouver in 1792, and consists entirely of B.C. native species.
Drake is also a Bowen Islander and has enjoyed the last three years growing the educational programs at VanDusen Botanical Garden. A follow up visit to VanDusen Botanical Garden is being planned for May.
