The Biophilic Design of a

Botanical Garden: A Case Study

of VanDusen Botanical Garden
Visitor Centre in Vancouver
The VanDusen Botanical Garden, located in the heart of Vancouver, British
Columbia, was initially founded in 1971. The spectacular 22-hectare Botanical
Garden is recognized internationally for its beauty and leadership in plant
conservation, biodiversity and sustainability. When it opened in 1975, VanDusen
Botanical Garden’s mission was “to awaken an understanding of the vital
importance of plants to all life through the outstanding botanical collections,
programs, and practices” (“Vandusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre”
Greenroofs). However, in the early 2000s, the Garden’s entrance needed higher
visibility, and its existing building structure saw much wear (noting that no
information was found on the use or condition of the previous structure). There
was also a desire to revitalize interest to attract more visitors, reach a younger
demographic and elevate the Garden’s profile internationally. (“Vandusen
Botanical Garden Visitor Centre” Greenroofs)

Ariel view map of the VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre – Photo
courtesy of VanDusen
In 2007, Architects Perkins+Will and landscape architect Cornelia Hahn
Oberlander were commissioned to design a new Visitor Centre with the objective
of increasing the VanDusen Botanical Garden’s visitorship and promoting
human-nature interactions, especially within the younger demographic. A lack of
facilities to accommodate new needs on the Garden’s grounds combine with the
existing buildings’ need for repair formed the basis for discussions on how to
develop the new Visitor Centre project for the VanDusen Botanical Garden.

Karl Blossfeldt’s photo of the Leaf of a Native White Orchid – Photo

courtesy of Perkins + Will

“Flower as Metaphor: A flower is rooted in its own place by harvesting all its
own energy and water, by adapting to the climate and site, by operating
pollution free, and by promoting health and well-being”

Perkins and will

Designed to be one with nature, the Visitor Centre acts as the gateway to the
Garden while creating a harmonious balance between architecture and
landscape from both a visual and an ecological perspective. The 1,858 m2
single-storey structure is inspired by the organic forms unique to the petal and
stem structure of the delicate native British Columbia White Bog Orchid flower.
The project’s roof symbolizes undulating green ‘petals’ that float above rammed
earth and concrete walls. The vegetated roof undulations representing the
petals are connected and blend seamlessly with the ground plane to encourage
its use by local wildlife. On the top, these undulations converge at the “oculus,”
a skylight feature which tops the central atrium area in the building (“Vandusen
Visitor Centre – Wood Works”).
Solar Chimney located at the centre of the atrium – Photo courtesy of Perkins
+ Will

Once in the building, the oculus that metaphors the stem is mounted
dramatically overhead. The atrium, with its fully glazed walls, creates a visual
interest that inspires visitors and passersby to explore the grounds beyond
whilst serving as a transition zone between the gardens and the gathering
spaces within the Visitor Centre. The Visitor Centre houses a café, an expanded
library, volunteer facilities, a garden shop, office space and flexible classroom
spaces for meetings, lectures, workshops and private functions.

The net-zero VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre is designed to meet the
Living Building Challenge (LBC), the most strict set of sustainability
requirements in built environments. It received the Living Building Challenge
Petal Certificate in 2016 and was one of the first buildings in Canada to receive
this certification. The LBC encompasses the LEED Platinum requirements leading
the building to receive certification in 2014.

HERITAGE
The nature–culture divide is an old dichotomy between humans and the
environment. Unfortunately, this notion in modern times continues to be framed
by the question of whether the two commodities function separately from one
another or if they are in a continuous relationship with each other.
Understanding how the nature-culture dichotomy came to be will help
policymakers and environmentalists determine a new future in human and
nature relations. Accordingly, this analysis aims to break this dichotomy
regarding heritage.

While many sources date the inhabitation of the land where the Vandusen
Botanical Garden and its Visitor centre are situated to the early 1900s, as noted
above, the first known inhabitants of the land are the eleven First Nations that
make up the Coast Salish people. During excavation for the landscaping in the
late 1900s, workers discovered sea shells, evidence that the land had been
under the ocean about 12,000 years ago.

Later, in his curation of the gardens, Roy Forster brought a unique skill set to the
design and integrity of VanDusen’s remarkable curatorial collections. In 1999,
Forster was made a member of the Order of Canada for his groundbreaking
design and exceptional accomplishments at VanDusen. During the time Forster
was the plant curator at the VanDusen Botanical Garden, he oversaw the
planting of 12,000 trees, flowers and shrubs representing 3,072 species. Today,

rivalling the international calibre of botanical gardens, VanDusen is the home of

over 7,500 differentNodding Wild Onion – Courtesy of Minnesota
Devil’s Club – Photo Courtesy of Herbal Academy, Western Red Cedar – Photo Courtesy of
Verna R. Johnston

Within the Garden, certain plant species are used as a food source. They are
gathered in well-known, well-tended locations by First Nation communities that
often stay near these gathering locations for days or weeks to harvest and
prepare plants for year-round use. The Garden also houses two ‘story poles’
carved to preserve the local Indigenous knowledge, history and stories. These
story poles are preserved as they carry many spiritual values. The two-story
poles are the Mosquito Story pole carved by Earl and Brian Muldoe and Al of the
Gispudwad by Arthur Sterritt from the Gitxsan Nation. Lastly, The Garden is set
within a sprawling network of parkways and an urban context that harmonizes
the site’s heritage (“Vandusen Botanical Garden” Vancouver Heritage
Foundation).
SUSTAINABILITY
Environmental Sustainability: The VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre is
designed to exceed LEED Platinum standards and achieve recognition for the
Living Building Challenge requirements. The Visitor Centre uses natural and
mechanical systems together to create a building with a low environmental
impact by reusing the site’s renewable resources and the building’s waste.
Collectively, the design addresses seven sustainability performance areas: Site,
Water, Energy, Materials, Equity, Health and Beauty (“Vandusen Botanical
Garden Visitor Centre” International Living Future Institute)
 Site: By analyzing the garden’s ecology, the project’s team was able to
situate the visitor centre seamlessly into the natural landscape, avoiding the
destruction of rare trees, shrubs and plants around the structure. The
 building’s green roof also attracts native fauna to access the roof’s
ecosystem. (“Vandusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre” International Living
Future Institute)
 Water System: 100% of the water used comes from captured precipitation or
reused water. Rainwater is collected, treated and reused for the centre’s
grey-water needs. Moreover, blackwater is also treated by an on-site
bioreactor and used to water the garden. (“Vandusen Botanical Garden
Visitor Centre” International Living Future Institute)
 Energy System: The Visitor Centre is designed to use on-site, renewable
systems to achieve net-zero energy requirements. It generates enough
energy to offset its own uses on an annual basis. The various features that
help achieve the net zero energy requirements are the following:
 Photovoltaic (PV) panels are designed to provide 11,000 kWh of power to
the Visitor Centre.
 Four hundred solar hot water tubes produce thermal energy and store
them in 50 geo-exchange boreholes. This thermal energy is used for
heating the building’s water.
 A green roof provides added insulation for the building, and a solar
chimney composed of an operable glazed oculus provides natural
ventilation. The solar chimney also features an aluminum heat sink,
which converts sunlight into convection energy, providing air movement
through the space.
 Daylight and views are maximized through large areas of glazing. 93% of
daylighting is at levels that allow lights to be off during daylight hours,
while 85% of spaces have outdoor views. As for the evenings, light levels
are optimized according to the spaces’ occupancy (“Vandusen Botanical
Garden Visitor Centre” International Living Future Institute).
Modelling
Visualizing the curved roof structure from the 2-D architectural drawings was very difficult. The
modelling into a 3-D image using various software programs was not only necessary to
envisage the final product, it was essential for completion of the design. Perkins+Will developed
the initial roof geometry using Rhino® 3D and Autodesk® Revit® 3D modelling software. At that
point, we (being responsible for the roof fabrication and installation), took the model and worked
with Grasshopper®, a digital design add-in to the Rhino software, to develop the final geometry.
Once all the parameters needed for the roof structure were understood and inputted into the
Grasshopper program, the design team was able to change the form and optimize various
aspects to keep the roof structure on budget.
The 3D model was used to digitally panelize the roof's series of overlapping petals and the
central atrium area, or oculus. The geometry of each of the 70-plus panelized sections (panels)
that made up the roof structure was unique and each described compound curves. The 3D
modelling was used to play with the curvature of the glulam beams (located at the panel edges)
in order to optimize the number and thickness of laminations and keep the costs down. By using
larger radii for the curves, stock laminations could be used. The modelling was also used to
identify appropriate locations for the low points in each panel segment for the most favourable
placement of down pipes to drain the sprinkler system and for placement of the roof drains, as
well as to ensure visual continuity of the ceiling.
As for Ventilation System, the stem features a wide glass ceiling to allow not
only natural light to enter the space, but also to serve as a natural heat
chimney, pulling warm air from the interior, helping to maintain a
comfortable balance for visitors within. The oculus of the atrium aids a kind
of natural ventilation. As for Ventilation System, the stem features a wide
glass ceiling to allow not only natural light to enter the space, but also to
serve as a natural
Figure-Natural Heating and Cooling Ventilation System of VanDusen Garden
Visitor’s Centre

Net Zero Water and Ecological Water Flow

First, the facility uses on-site, renewable sources to achieve net-zero energy
on an annual basis;
sequestering enough carbon to achieve carbon neutrality; and uses filtered
rainwater for the building’s grey-water requirements. The site treats one
hundred percent of the centre’s blackwater utilizing an on-site bioreactor.
Rainwater is collected from the green roof, which after undergoing filtration
is used as grey-water, most of it for flushing toilets within the building. The
blackwater treated by the on-site bioreactor is released into a percolation
field and garden(Huffman, 2013)

Plant Details of Cascadia Garden

The green roof and its landscape known as Cascadia Garden, was designed
by the collaborative team of landscape architects Cornelia Hahn Oberlander
and ken Larsson.

Green Roof
The visitor’s centre has a traditional, non-inverted green roof: the insulation
is found under the waterproofing layer, embedded in the prefabricated
panels. It is an appropriate approach considering of the complexity of the
project’s form, assembly and construction time. The lightweight growing
medium is six inches deep at average; after the panels and Zinco systems
were placed in place, growing medium was sprayed on. To comply with the
Living Building Challenge, only recycled water is allowed for irrigation
purposes that the Visitor’s Centre collects and treats for itself. Potentially,
larger cistern and treatment facility could have been built for use of the
adjacent buildings but was rejected because of budget restrains. Water is
collected from the blue roof; green roof water is diverted to gutter spouts,
the stream and wetland areas
 diagram based on (Larsson,
oberlander, schwenger and Miller, p.14)

Floor plan
Integrated design at the oculus

An example of the challenge in merging the mechanical, enclosure and

architectural design together is the oculus, the prominent conical glazing
feature rising above the centre of the roof ‘petals’; see Figure 2. The oculus
serves several purposes: an architectural rendition of a flower’s stigma, a
means for natural daylighting to the atrium space below (Indoor
Environmental Quality Credit 8.1 – Daylight and Views), and passive cooling
and natural ventilation (EA Credit 1.10 and IEQ Credit 2 – Ventilation
Effectiveness).
Figure: section drawing through oculus, courtesy busby perkins + will

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