Evergreen Cultural Centre , Coquitlam, 1997
Capacity and operating analysis
(with Proscenium Architecture + Interiors)


The Evergreen Cultural Centre was originally conceived as a multi-faceted facility for the development and presentation of the performing and visual arts. The original plan called for a Playhouse theatre of 600 seats, a Studio theatre of 250 seats, an art gallery and visual arts production spaces to be built in Coquitlam Town Centre, one of the regional town centres identified in the Greater Vancouver Regional District's "Livable Region" strategic plan. The Centre opened in October 1996 with all but the Playhouse theatre, which was to be built in a second phase of the development. Less than a year later, the Centre decided to investigate the possibility of planning Phase II of the project and started by asking the question "should the capacity of the Phase II theatre be 600 as originally proposed, or some larger number?" Lamont Management was engaged to answer the question.

Local arts organizations were canvassed to give an indication of how much programming they would likely be able to provide. Government population growth forecasts were analysed. The limited supply of local programming in the short term suggested a smaller capacity, but forecast population growth demanded the larger number of seats. The dilemma was how to deal with this problem with a single hall. An architectural solution to this problem was developed and costed with Proscenium Architecture + Interiors. The concept was to build a hall of 650 seats in such a way that by moving the proscenium upstage, the additional 350 seats could be accommodated without negative impact on sightlines or acoustics. Operating proformas were developed for each of the capacities. One more piece of analysis was required. Both versions of the Phase II theatre were assessed against other theatres of similar capacity in the region. This last exercise tipped the recommendation in favour of the larger 1000+ seat capacity. Of the large scale competitors, one does not yet exist. The other is nearing the end of its useful life and is not likely to be renovated.

The work revealed the major difficulty the Evergreen Cultural Centre faces. Conceived as a multi-facility, integrated arts centre, the Evergreen has had difficulty finding its place. People are less than satisfied with it. The reason is simple. The Centre is incomplete. In planning the development of the Phase II theatre, the Evergreen will need figure out what interim role it can fulfill successfully. Much of Lamont's work on the project went beyond answering the original question. A good deal of effort was made to promote the potential of the Centre to those in the community who had become disenchanted.