en.Wedoany.com Reported - The first phase of the £1.3 billion redevelopment of London's Olympia, designed by Heatherwick Studio in collaboration with SPPARC, officially opened to the public last week following an opening party.

This mixed-use project connects the previously fragmented buildings on the 14-acre historic site, relocates all logistics to underground, and creates 2.5 acres of new public terraces, plazas, and walkways.

The project was unveiled to invited guests last Tuesday at "The Canopy," a corridor of restaurants and bars beneath an arched glass roof that also serves as the complex's main entrance. This 1,000-square-meter space sits above the site's exhibition hall, supported by five structural steel arches, each spanning 22 meters, holding a roof made of 520 folded glass panels. Its design is inspired by Olympia's Grade II-listed Grand Hall.

Upon full completion, the site will feature a range of cultural and commercial spaces, including London's largest new permanent theater in nearly 50 years, as well as several new hotels, restaurants, and bars.

Heatherwick Studio founder Thomas Heatherwick said Olympia has always held a peculiar place in Londoners' hearts, sitting in the center of the city, hosting countless events, yet remaining closed off to most people. Heatherwick noted that the company's work over the past nine years has been an attempt to open up the site, making it accessible for anyone to enjoy.

Eliot Postma, partner and team leader at Heatherwick Studio, said the project was not about imposing something new, but learning from what already existed, working in harmony with Olympia's Victorian structures. He mentioned that The Canopy was a highly complex engineering feat, requiring a delicate placement within the historic environment to unlock the entire site's circulation and create a new space for London. The project transforms an inward-looking venue into a more connected and human-centric place.

The next phase of renovation will include two hotels: the 204-room Hyatt Regency London Olympia and the 146-room citizenM London Olympia, both expected to open in July. A 500-capacity music venue connected to the complex's Grade II-listed Pillar Hall will open this autumn; a 250-meter-long pedestrian street, Olympia Way, will be completed later this year. Meanwhile, a 550,000-square-foot office building named One Olympia will open to tenants this year, including the Premier League's newly formed content production division, Premier League Studios.

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