Vancouver-based architecture firm Revery Architecture has covered an amphitheatre with a massive starburst timber roof in Vancouver, Canada. 

Mass timber will be used in the groundbreaking starburst arch top of Revery Architecture's PNE Amphitheatre/Freedom Mobile Arch. 

The concept makes use of the biophilic qualities and distinctive acoustic capabilities of mass timber to provide performers and audiences of up to 10,000 with an experience they won't soon forget. 

A variety of fixed and flexible seating will provide versatile audience configurations

The FIFA Fan FestivalTM will take place at the Amphitheatre, Vancouver's first net-zero carbon cultural initiative, during the 2026 World Cup. A starburst mass timber roof with 105-meter spans and 25-meter-high arcs is the Amphitheatre's distinctive feature. It offers better acoustics and weather protection while wonderfully framing Vancouver's iconic North Shore Mountains. 

The building's 60 arches are grouped into six barrel vaults that cross at diagonal planes. The world's largest free-span mass timber roof will be this one.

The Amphitheatre is situated in Hastings Park, which is close to the commercially important Hastings corridor and encircled by residential neighborhoods. Because of its strategic location, the park is well-positioned to serve neighborhood needs and develop into a beloved regional destination. 

The precedent-setting roof will provide exceptional acoustic benefits, unmistakable character, and year-round weather protection

In order to reduce event noise pollution, careful acoustic design was also required due to the close proximity to residential neighbors. In order to provide the audience with the best possible sound experience with the least amount of disturbance to the surrounding area, Revery collaborated closely with the acousticians at Stages Consultants.

State-of-the-art performance venue 

The venue will host a range of events thanks to its spacious permanent stage, three-story back-of-house building, and amenities for food, drink, and retail sales.

For community, non-profit, and touring companies alike, accessible, plug-and-play systems will be made possible by custom house lighting, rigging, and sound equipment. A range of spectator locations, such as VIP box suites, flexible grass seating, and seats that can be removed to create a dance floor or standing room, will provide comfortable sitting for audiences. 

In order to improve the guest experience, a sizable network of ramps on either side of the seating area will offer fair access (aiming for Rick Hansen Accessibility Foundation Gold).

A generous ramp network will flank the seating area, providing equitable access and enhancing the guest experience

Environmental impact and climate resiliency

The project is designed in compliance with LEED Gold and aims to become a Zero Carbon Building certified by the Canada Green Building Council. It will be entirely electric and run on hydroelectric, or renewable, energy. 

In keeping with its goal of reducing its negative effects on the surrounding ecology and rivers, it is also aiming for Salmon Safe accreditation.

Rainwater will be collected, cleaned, and used to irrigate the site's landscape via a cutting-edge stormwater management system that is completely integrated with the roof assembly and buttress footings. 

The mass timber roof will provide a memorable experience for performers and audience members alike

To preserve the urban watershed and support local stormwater management initiatives—a major local concern given Vancouver's yearly rainfall—excess water will be gradually released into the district stormwater system.

The signature roof will be constructed using more than 2,000 cubic meters of mass timber, resulting in a 40% decrease in embodied carbon when compared to the baseline. In addition to being a locally produced and renewable resource, mass wood has a considerable capacity to store carbon and is incredibly durable.

A 7m-high crescent-shaped acoustic wall along the site's south adjacency will create a continuous line-of-sight barrier directly behind the lawn seating area, thus limiting noise pollution to the Amphitheatre's residential neighbours

Showcasing mass timber 

The enormous starburst roof demonstrates innovation in the use of mass timber and is the first of its kind to be constructed. Both glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT) are used in the historic building; the graceful arches take advantage of Douglas Fir glulam's exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, while a Spruce-Pine-Fir CLT deck serves as a structural diaphragm for stability.

1:200 model - abstracted roof structure

Utilizing mass timber products will improve the acoustics of the amphitheater, encourage the ethical sourcing of materials, lower the project's embodied carbon, and offer exceptional fire and weather resistance.

1:200 model - abstracted roof structure

1:200 model highlighting wood structure

Site plan

All levels plan

Steel central star node and primary steel reinforcing members connection

Integrated stormwater management system

Exploded axonometric diagram

Section

Section

The project is currently under construction, and completion is expected in Spring 2026.

Revery Architecture (Revery) is an internationally recognized architecture, interior design, and planning practice. 

The firm is committed to a philosophy of ‘Building Beyond Buildings’, a passion for placemaking, and aligning architecture with broader community initiatives to shape inspiring, authentically responsive spaces that stimulate human interactions, engage the senses, improve quality of life, and bring joy.

Project facts

Name: PNE Amphitheatre / Freedom Mobile Arch

Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada 

Certification: Targeting LEED Gold Certification (New Construction) and Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) Gold, and Salmon-Safe

Category: Outdoor Performance Venue 

Key Feature: The self-supporting starburst mass timber arch roof structure will be one of the largest in the world, spanning an impressive 105m. 

Project size: 12,350 sqm 

Total Floors: 3

Overall height: 25m

Consultants

Structural Engineer: Fast + Epp

Contractor: EllisDon

Mechanical Engineer: Introba

Electrical Engineer: AES Engineering

Civil Engineer: Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd.

Building Code: LMDG Code Consultant

Landscape Architecture: PFS Studio

Transportation Engineer: R.F. Binne + Associates

Building Envelope + Sustainability: Stantec

AV Systems, Acoustics, Theatre Planning: Stages Consulting

Functional Programming + Engagement: Inform Planning

Quantity Surveying + Costing: James Bush & Associates

Indigenous Cultural Advisor: Angela George

Geotechnical Engineer: RAM Consulting

Structural Snow Loading, Cladding Wind Load Assessment, Desktop Aerodynamic Stability: RWDI Consulting Engineers & Scientists

Temporary Construction & Shoring Engineer: Somerset Construction Engineering

Key suppliers

Structural steel: Walters Group

Mass timber: Nordic Structures

All renderings © Mir. 

All drawings © Revery Architecture. 

> via Revery Architecture

CLT concept glulam mass timber Revery Architecture roof under construction