The world’s longest timber arch structure and one of the largest free-span roofs ever constructed will dramatically reduce the volume of sound spreading into neighbourhoods.
That is according to a report published by the City of Vancouver outlining how the new PNE Ampitheatre’s starburst design will allow year-round concerts to proceed without disturbing residents.
Designed by Revery Architecture in collaboration with Stages Consultants, one of North America’s top acoustics design firms, the 105-metre curved roof “ensures that neighbours of the new venue will enjoy improved peace and quiet during stage performances,” according to report author Damien Doria, who said the timber roof is crucial in focusing the noise and reducing it’s spread.
Mr Doria said the roof’s shape and size would direct sound toward the audience, reducing the likelihood of the sound “spreading to areas beyond the amphitheatre,” adding that the previous roofless theatre was in a “free-field environment” with “virtually no mitigation of sound.”
He added that the roof’s unique design, which reimagines the concept of a traditional concrete shell but instead uses a mass timber design, effectively blocks and redirects sound toward the audience to create a more efficient acoustic environment that doesn’t need the same level of amplification.
And whilst the new design won’t eliminate all noise – especially thanks to a concept known as temperature inversion in summer – a meteorological phenomenon where air temperature near the ground is cooler than the air above it — it is a “significant” component when it comes to dispersing sound around the region.
According to the Vancouver Sun, noise complaints from the roof-less amphitheatre came from as far as six kilometres away, a point addressed by Mr Doria: “It may be necessary to install and use sound level monitoring at various points around the PNE property to maintain sound levels that do not exceed regulatory limits at neighbouring properties.”
The world’s longest timber arch structure is wowing the world!
Wood Central understands that the new roof – recently showcased by Robert Jackson, Principal from Fast+Epp at Australia’s Timber Construct -is scheduled to open in 2026 before the FIFA World Cup.
Breaking ground in April, the PNE Amphitheater “is inspired by the shell of the 1956 CNIT building in Paris,” according to Mr Jackson the engineer for the project, with the starburst roof set to become Vancouver’s new jewel: “There will never be another venue like this anywhere in Canada, or indeed around the world,” Shelley Frost, PNE’s President and CEO.
Last year, Wood Central revealed that the Revery Architecture-designed roof “will be supported at just three points, with sizeable openings, seeking harmonious integration into the natural landscape.” According to Venelin Kokalov from Revery Architecture, the starburst-patterned roof “reimagines the traditional concrete shell with a mass timber design.”
It will comprise 60 arches arranged in six barrel-vaulted segments and supported by three steel arches at the central steel keystone and two substantial concrete buttress supports – combining glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT) for superior strength and stability, enhanced acoustic performance, offering weather resilience and fire safety.
And given the massive build’s lightweight nature, the installation requires just four scaffold frames and three towers at the outer keystone points.
- To learn more about the project, visit Wood Central’s special feature.
