Mac Rating: 0.00 | Votes: | Date:

Canada Place is a landmark building and public space on the downtown Vancouver waterfront, instantly recognisable for the five white sail-like fabric roofs that billow above it and have become an emblem of the city, jutting out into the harbour on a pier with the mountains of the North Shore as a backdrop. Built for the 1986 world exposition, Expo 86, when it served as the Canada Pavilion, the structure was retained afterwards and developed into a multi-purpose complex that today houses the city's main cruise ship terminal, a convention centre, a hotel and offices, while its surrounding promenades have become a favourite place to stroll, take in the views and watch the great cruise vessels and floatplanes come and go. The sail-roofed silhouette, designed to evoke a ship under full canvas, deliberately echoes the maritime character of the port city, and the building's prominent position makes it a natural focus of the waterfront. A walkway around the outer edge offers panoramic views across Burrard Inlet to the mountains and over the busy harbour, with interpretive panels along the way, and the site is home to attractions and events including a flight-simulation ride that takes visitors on a virtual journey across the country, as well as serving as a gathering place for major celebrations and the city's Canada Day festivities. As the principal departure point for cruises to Alaska and a hub of the city's tourism and convention trade, Canada Place is both a working facility and one of Vancouver's most visited and photographed sights. The distinctive roofline of Canada Place has made it one of the defining images of Vancouver, often likened to a great sailing ship moored at the edge of the city, and its position on a pier reaching into Burrard Inlet places it at the meeting point of the downtown core, the working harbour and the waters that lead out toward the mountains and the sea. Built as the centrepiece of the country's presence at Expo 86, the structure was preserved as a lasting legacy and has grown into a hub of activity, its cruise terminal sending tens of thousands of passengers each year on voyages north to Alaska. A circuit of the outer walkway offers a continuous panorama of the harbour, the seaplanes on the water, the ships at the docks and the green slopes of the North Shore beyond, with panels explaining the workings of the port. Within and around the building are attractions including a popular flight-simulation ride that sweeps visitors on a virtual aerial tour across the country, and the site serves as a focus for festivals, fireworks and the city's national-day celebrations.