The Alliance Française Vancouver (AFV) has unveiled its new cultural facility, at 6161 Cambie Street, Vancouver.

The $24-million, 30,000-square-foot community hub is the largest, independent cultural facility in B.C. and will serve the region’s francophone and French-speaking community.

It includes a 1,120-square-foot art gallery, 2,700 square feet of artist studio space, a media library, a 165-seat theatre, a bistro and cafe, a demonstration kitchen for cooking classes, plus 16 classrooms. The studio space will offer affordable rentals for artist residencies.

Plans for the building began in 2015, and in 2021, the original location was torn down to make way for the new facility, designed by the Vancouver-based architectural firm, McFarland Marceau. The development has been funded by all levels of government, as well as foundations, private companies and individual donors.

The new building is now the third-largest Alliance Française location in North America, after New York and Toronto.  Alliance Française Vancouver is part of the global network of Alliances Françaises, which includes 834 centres in 132 countries.

“Drawing upon the rich cultural heritage of Alliance Française Vancouver, which this year celebrates its 120th anniversary, we are thrilled to unveil our new landmark cultural facility, devoted to preserving and celebrating the French language and thriving francophone cultures present in Vancouver today,” said Damien Hubert, executive director of Alliance Francaise Vancouver.

The new centre is a hybrid mass timber structure that uses concrete, masonry, steel and glass, in coordination with mass timber elements to achieve a premium architectural finish. The building features a 4 storey atrium at it’s heart, which provides a grand entrance, and contains a custom floating staircase, and decorative millwork.