Installation of King Arches Marks Key Milestone at the PNE Freedom Mobile Arch

June 11, 2025

Work is well underway on the PNE Freedom Mobile Arch, a project that is already making headlines as one of the largest free-span timber roofs in the world.

This groundbreaking amphitheatre, which will serve as a premier event space in Vancouver, is scheduled to host the city’s official FIFA World Cup 2026 viewing parties—seating up to 10,000 people and bringing global audiences together under an iconic roof that blends innovative engineering with architectural beauty.

Following the successful formation and pouring of the three primary concrete buttresses earlier this year, the project reached a key milestone near the end of May with the installation of the three King Arches. These steel support arches, made up of 27 individual segments pre-assembled on a custom truss rack, play a critical role in the structural integrity of the canopy. They connect directly to the concrete buttresses and form the primary framework to support the signature glulam timber beams. 

To facilitate this complex assembly, embedded head unit frames were installed at the buttresses to eventually receive the glulam elements, while temporary masts have been erected to support the underside of the steel and timber arch structure. Once the arch is fully assembled and secured, the temporary supports will be removed, revealing the breathtaking sweep of the integrated, self-supporting timber roof. 

Installation of the Glulam arches began in June and is well underway now and will carry out through the summer and fall months. We’re pleased to share the latest progress on site and look forward to making further updates as work advances.