New images of the £700 million redevelopment of the Olympia exhibition centre have been released.
Heatherwick Studio and SPPARC’s scheme was submitted to Hammersmith & Fulham Council for planning last month.
The 186,000m² project is backed by Yoo Capital, which jointly owns the 130-year-old building with Deutsch Finance.
The practices will completely revamp the existing exhibition halls, as well as adding 51,000m² of offices, studios and co-working space for ’the creative industries in art, music and entertainment’.
The plans include a four-screen arthouse cinema, a 1,000-seat performing arts space, a 1,500-seat theatre, 900m² of performance and rehearsal space, a new jazz club-style restaurant and venue, shops, cafés, hotels and new public space including pedestrianised squares and a sky garden.
The historic façades on Olympia Way will be fully restored and spaces, such as the historic Pillar Hall, will be opened to the public.
Yoo Capital chairman John Hitchcox said: ‘The masterplan represents a phenomenal opportunity to invest in the existing exhibition business, while opening Olympia London up to the whole community by providing new cultural facilities in the arts, music and entertainment.
‘We are particularly delighted to be able to offer a new world-class theatre as part of the masterplan. If approved, it would be the first theatre of its kind built in London in generations, and would represent a significant investment in the arts.’
Heatherwick Studio group leader Eliot Postma said: ‘Olympia London as a venue has always been generous given the impressive size of the original halls. Our work here has largely been about making the site generous from the outside too, opening up over 0.8ha of space and creating new permeability.’
