Stanley Theatre
The most significant challenge and success proved to be preserving the interior and exterior Heritage façades.
Located in the heart of Vancouver, the Stanley Theatre is an elegantly restored 1931 movie house. From 1930 to 1991, the Stanley Theatre was undeniable the premier cinema in Vancouver. Today, it has been converted into a 650-seat live theatre venue for drama, comedy or musicals.
Cobalt provided the complete mechanical system design for this heritage restoration and conversion project. The scope of work included the addition or modification to interior theatre elements, as well as upgrades to the life safety and building mechanical systems.
The most significant design challenge proved to be the maintenance of the interior and exterior heritage façade of the theatre while continuing to update the building’s indoor systems. Special care was exercised to preserve the existing structure and all new construction was distinct yet compatible with the existing building.
High level collaboration between all members of the design team yielded the optimal solution: to hide as much of the mechanical system as possible. In order to achieve this level of invisibility, space on the roof was selected adjacent to the newly constructed fly tower, as well as taking advantage of the theatre’s large, existing attic space. This successfully maintained the integrity of the exterior of the theatre by not penetrating the exterior façade.
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