Olympia London: from a Victorian icon to a new venue for culture, offices and a hotel

“Olympia has long held a special place in the hearts of Londoners, and our work has been aimed at making it accessible to everyone,” says Heatherwick. “We have reimagined it to reintegrate it into everyday life in London, creating a new public thoroughfare suspended in the air, which rests above the existing historic buildings.”

All the logistical facilities required to set up, run and dismantle trade fairs have been moved underground, which has made it possible to create a new, wide pedestrian street, onto which the underground and train stations open. At either end of the street are two hotels: on one side, the CitizenM; on the other, the five-star Hyatt Regency, ingeniously built by converting what was once a car park.

From this street, two sets of steps and two long escalators lead to Heatherwick’s ‘glass cathedral’, which features restaurants, bars and terraces offering spectacular views of London. Even if the weather is bad, a blue sky is guaranteed, thanks to The Canvas, a digital screen 83 metres long and eight metres wide installed on the ceiling, which projects immersive digital artworks.

Juno (Giunone), the largest Italian restaurant in the UK with seating for 265, is set to open on the street front shortly. The office tower is also nearing completion, offering 50,000 square metres of open-plan space with large terraces. Its tenants already include Premier League Studios, the new international division of the English Premier League, and it aims to become a hub of creativity for the tech and media sectors.

This summer saw the opening of the British Airways ARC, a 3,800-seat concert hall dedicated to live music. The British airline is a founding partner of Olympia, a multi-million, multi-year deal “that works very well for both parties”, says Volkert.

The entire complex, covering almost six hectares and situated a stone’s throw from Kensington and Holland Park, will be completed next year with the opening of the British Airways Theatre, which will be the largest new theatre to open in London in fifty years.

“The theatre will be the icing on the cake of this long process of radical transformation at Olympia,” explains Volkert. “We have created a destination that operates seven days a week, 365 days a year. From Monday to Friday, everything revolves around trade fairs and offices, whilst evenings and weekends are for concerts, entertainment and restaurants.”

According to a study by the independent consultancy firm Volterra, Olympia will attract 10 million visitors a year and contribute over 600 million pounds to the British economy.
“Our ambition has been to preserve the extraordinary heritage that is Olympia, whilst reinventing it for new generations,” explains John Hitchcox, chairman and founder of YOO Group. “Olympia represents a vote of confidence in London’s creativity and global appeal.”