UK practices Heatherwick Studio and SPPARC have revealed a faceted glass canopy that shelters new outdoor spaces, as part of the transformation of the Olympia events centre in London.
Opening to the public today, the rooftop bars, restaurants and landscaped terraces mark the completion of the first phase of Heatherwick Studio and SPPARC’s renovation of Olympia, which was originally built in 1886.
Designed to attract more activity to the site, a public staircase and escalators lead visitors from ground level to the public space above, which was built between Olympia’s barrel-vaulted roofs.
A pleated canopy, made up of 520 glass panels supported by five 22-metre-wide steel arches, shelters the outdoor space.
The shape of the canopy fans out at the entrance points, designed to draw people in, and its faceted surfaces draw from the arched glass facade of Olympia’s Grand Hall.
Elsewhere at the Olympia site, office towers with faceted glazed facades are also taking shape as part of the transformation project.
Heatherwick Studio and SPPARC wanted to diversify the site, which has functioned as an events space and exhibition hall for 140 years, and make it more accessible to visitors.
Once complete, Olympia will contain a 3,800-capacity entertainment venue, a 1,575-seat theatre, shops, offices and two hotels.
“Olympia has held a strange place in the hearts of Londoners, sitting at the centre of our city, hosting so many unusual events, yet simultaneously closed off to most of us,” said Heatherwick Studio founder Thomas Heatherwick. “It certainly wasn’t a place to take your family or go on a date.”
“Our work over the last nine years has been about opening it up so anyone can enjoy it, whether they’re going to a play, a music concert, an exhibition, or simply wandering around.”
“What was once a lifeless perimeter is now a place where you can feel the city’s energy,” Heatherwick continued.
“The new Olympia reflects a quiet confidence, showing that we can take extraordinary British heritage and adapt it with care, imagination and purpose for the future.”
Also in London, Heatherwick Studio is nearing completion on Google’s upcoming landscraper office in King’s Cross, which was designed with BIG.
Elsewhere in the UK, Heatherwick Studio revealed its design for a 62,000-seat stadium encircled by brick chimneys for Birmingham City Football Club.
Other projects by SPPARC include a brick-lined shopping area in London and a renovated Georgian townhouse with a honeycomb-shaped roof.
The photography is by Raquel Diniz unless stated.
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