Barbados Opens All-Wood Performing Arts Centre

The first phase of the Barbados National Performing Arts Pavilion opened on 29 August with a full performance of Mansa Musa at Carifesta XV. Designed by Adjaye Associates, the pavilion is a temporary venue built directly onto the permanent foundations of the future Barbados National Performing Arts Centre, Phase II. This strategy provides Barbadians with an immediate cultural space while advancing the long-term vision for a national performing arts hub and promoting low-carbon architecture in the Caribbean.

As the Centre’s structural engineer and timber contractor, StructureCraft conceptualized an all-wood solution for the pavilion - showing how architecture can both be sustainable and civically ambitious. Built on the foundations of the permanent building, the ‘meanwhile use’ structure minimizes waste, extends material life, and sets a new benchmark for environmentally responsible design by effectively creating two buildings out of the same material. The sloped perimeter canopies are designed to be reconfigured as roof structure for the project’s Phase II. Slender cables tension the sloped columns to the foundations, creating a lateral bracing system designed for hurricane-force wind loads.

The pavilion marks the first step toward the permanent Barbados Performing Arts Centre, set to open in 2026 and also engineered by StructureCraft. The existing timber frame and foundations will remain in place, forming the core of the 85,000-square-foot performance centre, which will feature a 1,500-seat auditorium, rehearsal studios, public terraces, and cultural amenities.