Project Gallery / Canada Place

After 25 years of exemplary service, the iconic fabric roof at Canada Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada was updated with a new Birdair tensile roofing system.

Birdair also served as roofing subcontractor for the original Canada Place fabric sail installation in 1985. The structure's current roof was retrofitted with 91,210 square feet of TiO2-coated PTFE fiberglass fabric membrane that matches the original five-sail design.

The fabric membrane specified for Canada Place is PTFE, or polytetrafluoroethylene, fiberglass coated with non-toxic and flame-resistant TiO2 (titanium dioxide) that requires less maintenance due to its self-cleaning capabilities. The material is also highly durable, weather and fire resistant, and has a projected life expectancy exceeding 20 years.

At the end of the project, Birdair donated unused and slightly used construction materials, including access platforms, hoisting ballasts and temp brackets, to the British Columbia Institute of Technology for use in their skilled trade programs. To repurpose the old roof, Canada Place has partnered with Architecture For Humanity Vancouver to recycle the sails, which will be used for humanitarian purposes at home and abroad.

Project: Canada Place
General Contractor: Ledcor Construction, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Engineer: Geiger Engineers, Suffern, NY
Facility Owner: Canada Place Corporation, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Market Sector: Commercial
Material: TiO2-coated PTFE
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Completed: 2011