Rainwater management

In February we wrote about the wide variety of sustainably-minded initiatives and elements that are being planned for Harbourside Waterfront. Today we bring you some additional information about one particular element of our sustainability plan, rainwater management. 

In a typical development, the rainwater that naturally falls on a building’s roofs, sidewalks and internal roadways is captured, filtered to remove oil and grit, and then displaced into a body of water - which in the case of Harbourside is the Burrard Inlet. However, in order to achieve Harbourside’s sustainability objectives, Concert is developing a strategy to go well above and beyond the ordinary.  

Our civil engineer, landscape architect and recently-engaged water resource engineer are working on an on-site rainwater management strategy for the mixed-use community. Instead of simply moving the rainwater off-site, the rainwater management strategy will outline a plan for how this rainwater would be harvested, naturally filtered and reused in a sustainable manner. 

Specifically, the rainwater would be collected from the buildings’ green roofs, naturally filtered and captured for use in “rain gardens” which are water features that would be integrated into the neighbourhood. The green roofs and rain gardens would use natural materials and plants to clean and control rain water flows, and in doing so, would provide a natural habitat for pollinators, birds and other small animals to thrive in an urban environment. The rain gardens would further connect the site with its waterfront location and add to the marine-inspired character of the community. Another option the team is exploring is the possibility of capturing some of this excess rainwater as a means of irrigating the community’s landscaping – a particularly innovative strategy which would serve to decrease the community’s water usage. 

By taking a cue from nature and striving for integrated rainwater management design, Harbourside will not only relieve the pressure on municipal sewer systems but it will also begin to return to a more natural cycle that feeds water back into our local ecosystems.