Editor’s Note

Every time my family and I visit Vancouver, we make a stop at the VanDusen Botanical Garden. Because the vegetation is constantly changing with the seasons, it becomes a different experience each time. Where else can you see a Monkey Puzzle Tree in Canada? The entry through the Visitor Centre feels less like a place to buy tickets and more like stepping through a portal into a another world.

The roof, built as a system from ZinCo, is a living assembly rather than a surface finish. It is composed of multiple layers that work together to manage water, protect the structure, and sustain vegetation over time. These layers typically include a root-resistant waterproofing membrane, drainage and water retention layers, filter fleece, engineered growing medium, and a vegetation layer. Each layer has a defined function, and in Vancouver’s wet climate, water control and drainage performance are especially critical.

The key point is that the green roof is not just a visual or ecological gesture. It actively regulates stormwater, reduces runoff, and stabilizes the roof environment while shaping the overall architectural form. What reads as landscape is actually the top layer of a technical system that allows the building to behave more like terrain than a conventional roof.

The exterior metal envelope is a standing seam zinc system from VMZINC. It uses pre-weathered titanium zinc sheets installed in vertical seams over a ventilated rainscreen assembly. The seams are mechanically locked, which allows the panels to expand and contract with temperature changes while maintaining a continuous, watertight surface.

Zinc is used here because it can accommodate complex curved geometry and performs reliably in a wet coastal climate. Over time, it develops a stable protective patina that reduces maintenance requirements and supports long-term durability. In this building, the zinc is not simply cladding. It is a continuous skin that allows roof and wall to read as a single folded surface.

Until next time,