Mandated to be a first "green" building, this project is a consolidated laboratory facility for Environment Canada's Conservation and Protection Branch, located on a 58-acre waterfront conservation site on Burrard Inlet. Experimental environmental remediation measures and efforts to enhance the existing waterfowl habitat were undertaken on this former landfill site.

Given the site context, the Federal Government's leadership role in environmental affairs and public expectations, it was imperative for this "flagship" project to demonstrate ecologically-conscious principles.