Ford Center for the Performing Arts
Project Title
Ford Center for the Performing Arts
Description
Conceived in the tradition of the great Broadway theaters, this 1800 seat theater occupies a compact urban site located mid-block. On the street façade, the stone base of the building is inset with the gently arching volume of the auditorium within. A metal cladding of small-scale shingles reflects the sky, and the glow of neon in the evening. The public sequence through the theater begins at the street-level entrance lobby and its series of dramatic stairs filling a grand skylit oval atrium. The auditorium has an intimate dress circle and balcony; the farthest seat from the stage is 90 feet from the stage. The glass cone and a continuous glazed slot facing south introduce daylight and views of the surrounding city to matinee crowds, and project the interior scene of theater-goers over the nighttime street.

Images on this page: 1 Exterior view at dusk; 2 Interior stair detail; 3 Interior view; 4 Interior view; 5 Building section

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Timeline
between 1994 and 1995
Location
Completion Date
Project Type
Creator
Safdie Architects
Rights:
© Safdie Architects. Explicit permission to use images is required. Contact the Communications Director at Safdie Architects (617.629.2100) for more information.