On Saturday, October 4, 20 of Vancouver’s civic buildings will welcome the public for the first-ever Doors Open Vancouver. The free event presents a unique opportunity to get an up-close behind the scenes look at many of Vancouver’s service centres and architectural standouts.
Spanning a range of interests from cultural landmarks, like the Orpheum Theatre, to public services, like the 3-1-1 Call Centre, the selected locations will give visitors the chance to learn about a broad spectrum of city life. The list includes Heritage sites, family-friendly venues, and the opportunity to go where most Vancouverites never get to go.
Brian Crowe, Director of Water, Sewers and District Energy, leads a tour of the False Creek Energy Centre
Among the Doors Open Vancouver venues is the innovative False Creek Energy Centre, where cold sewage becomes hot water to serve customers in the neighbourhood. Tucked under the Cambie Bridge, most of us only see the centre’s work via the hand-like smoke stacks reaching up to the east.
A piece of public art that has a vital function to the centre, passersby can tell if the facility is cranking out a lot of heat or just a little, by how deep red or light blue the hand’s fingertips are coloured. Those kinds of insights are exactly what makes the Doors Open Vancouver such a great way to learn more about the city.
The smoke stacks of the False Creek Energy Centre
While it won’t be possible to do all the venues during Doors Open, the locations are set in three geographic clusters so participants can walk from building to building and stay in either the False Creek/Olympic Village area, in and around City Hall, and in downtown.
Over 200 trained volunteers will be on hand to help guide you through your exploration, as well as experts and employees at the sites. The DOV organizers are urging attendees to plan their days and do their research on the venues on their website to ensure they know which buildings have a pre-registration list, or which ones are wheelchair accessible.
Doors Open Vancouver takes place Saturday, October 4, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Vancity Buzz is a proud media sponsor of Doors Open Vancouver
Photos by Lindsay William-Ross/Vancity Buzz
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