Vancouver-based Revery Architecture has proposed an innovative starburst-patterned roof for the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) Amphitheatre, originally built in the 1960s, which is set for a transformative redevelopment into an open-air theatre.
The massive mass timber roof, supported at just three points, with sizeable openings, seeks harmonious integration into the natural landscape.
The starburst-patterned roof reimagines the traditional concrete shell with a mass timber design. It comprises 60 arches arranged in six barrel-vaulted segments, supported by three steel arches converging at a central steel keystone—hence the use of the word starburst, a pattern formed with the converging of lines at a central point—, and two substantial concrete buttress supports.
This structure combines glue-laminated timber (glulam) and cross-laminated timber (CLT) for superior strength and stability, enhancing acoustic performance, promoting local sourcing, minimizing embodied carbon, and offering weather resilience and fire safety.
Located within Vancouver’s expansive Hastings Park, the amphitheatre marks the first phase of the Hastings Park Master Plan’s realization. Future plans include the renewal of the adjacent Festival Plaza and the restoration of a creek along the amphitheatre’s edge, creating a new central attraction within the park for public programming throughout all seasons.
Architects at Revery Architecture faced a unique challenge: creating a covered amphitheatre for up to 10,000 attendees, while preserving the natural surroundings and views of the North Shore Mountains. Their solution was a mass timber starburst arch roof, spanning 105 m (344 ft) from buttress tip to buttress tip.
According to the project’s engineer, Fast + Epp, this will rank among the world’s most extensive timber arch roofs, encompassing approximately 7,200 m2 (77,500 sf) of space. This roof follows the contour of Windermere Hill, gently integrating into the landscape, framing picturesque vistas, and creating an intimate ambiance beneath its warm wooden canopy.
Construction efficiency is paramount, with minimal shoring and scaffolding required, reducing erection time and budget. Only four scaffold frames at the main apex of the roof and three towers at the outer keystone points will be necessary.
The project’s choice of mass timber aligns with sustainable building goals and carbon emissions targets. Further embodied carbon reductions, including low-carbon concrete, are under also consideration.
Beyond its structural and environmental innovations, the new PNE Amphitheatre will adopt sustainable principles and support the local ecology. It aligns with the City of Vancovuer’s Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP), the Resilient Vancouver Strategy, and Hastings Park’s Renewable Energy Strategy. The project targets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification and Canada Green Building Council’s (CAGBC’s) Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) standards.
Rainwater runoff is managed efficiently, collected in an infiltration/retention chamber at the site’s northwestern edge. This system protects the urban watershed, adhering to Salmon Safe principles and supporting the health of the future daylighted creek and Burrard Inlet. This aligns with the City of Vancouver’s Rain City Strategy, by capturing and purifying the initial 48 mm (1.8 in.) of rainwater within any 24-hour period.
