An Aztec-tinged revamp topped with a crinkle-cut tiara: inside the sparkling £1.3bn Olympia reboot
It has hosted everything from Miss World to the Chemical Brothers. Now the vast London venue has become a city within a city boasting offices
It has hosted everything from Miss World to the Chemical Brothers. Now the vast London venue has become a city within a city boasting offices, hotels, a theatre, commanding views – and even a school The money shot for the redevelopment of London’s Olympia exhibition centre is a bank of staircases and escalators soaring upwards, Aztec temple-style, to an elevated concourse sandwiched between the colossal barrel vaults of the original exhibition halls.
In a modern homage to its historic predecessors, the concourse is also crowned by a glass vault, crimped like a fan, its origami pleats connoting sparkling, flashy newness, a tiara of cubic zirconia among the heritage diamonds. Looming behind the tiara is what appears to be a cluster of cylindrical towers, but are actually the rounded ends of a steroidal stepped office block, with master-of-the-universe views over London, from Wembley to Crystal Palace.
Already ensconced and enjoying those views are the staff of the Premier League’s media production arm, which has a brand-appropriate mini football pitch on its
expansive terrace. Continue reading...
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