Yudu - RIBA September 2011

Analysis | Olympics | Handball Arena

BELOW: Modelling how the arena works with the raised external concourse.

BOTTOM: Make has an idea that the multicoloured seats might give a sense of inhabitation to spectator- less training sessions in the arena after the games.

cylindrical light pipes that project down from the ceiling. A building site still surrounds the arena,

with a railway and a significant east-west road planned to take shoppers to Stratford and a Westfield, and numerous less visible pieces of infrastructure. But with John MacAslan and Partners’ energy centre and Nord’s substation – both in dark brick with a certain amount of texture – the copper Handball Arena makes a good, understated composition. n

‘ The box is made more interesting by an intense red undercroft to the seating and views out into the park’

4 3 2 1 5

IN DETAIL

Architect, design and ODA guardian: Make Architect for contractor: Populous Olympic use: Handball, goalball, modern pentathlon Paralympic use: Goalball Legacy use: Sports and entertainment events, community leisure centre and training Best thing: The outsize sunpipes and the brick and copper facade in its emerging context Worst thing: Those gaudy seats

KEY

1: Field of play 2: Retractable lower tier seating 3: Glazed concourse 4: Fixed upper tier seating 5: Competitor and event support spaces

IN NUMBERS: 15,416m2

pipes, 10m high precast concrete walls, 300 tonnes concrete slab, 1,000 tonne steel frame, 2,750m2 field of play, 3,000m2

building, £43m value of project; 6,500 capacity Olympics, 7,500 capacity legacy, 88 sun copper on facade