BC Place may get retractable roof

In anticipation of the 2010 Winter Olympics, BC Place’s management is researching the possibility of replacing the iconic Vancouver building’s air-supported fabric roof with a retractable fabric roof. Talks have begun between Uni-Systems (a primary supplier of such systems in North America) and Birdair to explore the costs and technical challenges in converting the world’s largest air-supported stadium. Estimates place the cost at $150 million US, or more, plus the possibility of incorporating new green building technologies in the retrofit, including PV panels. Regardless of whether a new system will be put in place or the existing fabric simply replaced, officials intend to finish in time for the Olympics.

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