August 29, 2024

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Diamond Schmitt has been selected by the Vancouver Concert Hall and Theatre Society to undertake a feasibility study for a new cultural precinct in Vancouver that will feature a variety of performance spaces, including a symphony hall, recital hall, and opera/ballet hall. 

The study will encompass building a business case, identifying possible locations, along with Indigenous engagement and public consultation, and marks a major step forward for Vancouver as it puts arts and culture at the centre of its city building over the next several years.  

Fourteen performing arts organizations from across the City, including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera, Ballet BC, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Vancouver Youth Choir as key users, have provided their support for a new cultural precinct, with additional and improved performing arts facilities. Apart from providing acoustically superior performance spaces to accommodate orchestral and chamber music, the new cultural precinct would also support the needs of dance with a potential 1,200-seat theatre, a venue size that currently does not exist in Vancouver.

The Cultural Precinct will seek to provide flexible public spaces both inside and out, establishing places for creativity, education and performance that showcase the wealth of performing arts organizations in the City. Creating a cultural catalyst and destination for the City of Vancouver, it will pave the way for the next generation of artists, musicians and performers. 

Read more about the new Cultural Precinct on Stir: Arts & Culture | Vancouver.