9 June 2022 · By Rob Wilson

The 3,000-capacity ABBA Arena, the largest temporary performance space of its kind, is designed to  be relocated to another site at the end of its five-year tenure in east London

The steel and timber building, conceived to look like ‘a mysterious, intriguing object’, was designed by Stufish Entertainment Architects from the inside out, its 25.5m high hexagonal form responding to the requirements of the show, its staging and the required seating geometry.

The central auditorium accommodates 1,650 seats and space for a standing audience of 1,350 as well as the technology required to create the immersive experience. The structure of the venue, which sits on concrete pads, enables an internal clear span of 70m in order to allow for the large 360° immersive production. Constructed by ES Global, its design was optimised to be as light as possible to minimise the load on the foundations.

The arena sits under a semi-axisymmetric steel dome, while the roof and cladding were designed to both meet the acoustic performance requirements as well as limiting the effects of noise in surrounding residential areas. The external structure that braces the steel dome roof and auditorium, is clad with a porous screen of timber battens, with a large ABBA logo integrated on to two of the façades.

Outside the auditorium, an extended concourse area is sheltered by a large timber canopy built by Stage One. Like the superstructure itself, the canopy is a modular system that can be removed in sections and reconfigured once relocated. Timber modules accommodate food and beverage outlets, retail, toilets and a guest lounge.

The site, which prior to construction was used for temporary event parking, is adjacent to good public transport links including Pudding Mill DLR and the Elizabeth Line, with 83 per cent of audiences expected to travel to the arena using public transport.

Stufish was also commissioned as the stage designer for the virtual ABBA Voyage show, under the direction of producers Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson and director Baillie Walsh.

The ABBA Arena, a portable venue, will set the standard for future shows where the physical and the digital fuse to create a new genre of experience in the physical world Ray Winkler, chief executive, Stufish Entertainment Architects

This unique project provided the perfect blend of architecture and entertainment, allowing us to create an amazing immersive experience for the audience, that has never been seen before Alicia Tkacz, partner, Stufish Entertainment Architects

Start on site March 2021 Completion date May 2022 Gross internal floor area Theatre approximately 5,000m2; Front of house approximately 1,000m2 Form of contract or procurement route Design and build Construction cost Undisclosed Architect Stufish Entertainment Architects Client Aniara Structural engineer Atelier One M&E consultant Atelier Ten Quantity surveyor Gardiner & Theobald Landscape consultant Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects Acoustic consultant Charcoalblue Project manager Gardiner & Theobald Principal designer Gardiner & Theobald Approved building inspector Approved Inspectors Services Ltd (AIS) Planning consultant Quod Transport planning consultant i-Transport Main contractor ES Global

Tags ABBA ABBA Voyage Olympic Park stadium Stufish venue virtual concert Virtual reality

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