Live from Populous: Designing for Music – Populous

The O2 Arena 
London, England, United Kingdom 

Formerly the Millennium Dome, The O2 Arena in London, England, is one of the world’s most individual contemporary structures. When challenged to construct an arena within the confines of London’s iconic Dome building, the analogy of building a ship within a bottle — albeit at the largest scale imaginable — came to mind. 

In addition, the acoustics within the finished arena had to be world class to attract the caliber of artists that the sponsor was looking for. Perhaps most challenging of all, we had to change the public’s perception of the Dome. Once seen as London’s biggest white elephant, our brand activation team turned it blue.

 The arena is also fully accessible, allowing music lovers to attend shows without added stress. Those with tickets for accessible seating can use any entrance and there are elevators to every level of the venue. Wheelchair-dedicated bays are found on level one, allowing room for wheelchair users and those accompanying them to attend concerts. These bays come with stewards and are raised above general seating, guaranteeing unobstructed sightlines.

The arena has hosted some of the most significant events in the world, such as the ATP tennis finals, as well as high profile concerts like AC/DC, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Elton John and Madonna. On top of this, as the largest entertainment zone in London, The O2 has been a catalyst for the redevelopment of the Greenwich peninsula, prompting valuable additions to the area’s infrastructure such as the new riverboat service.

We begin the design of spaces by engaging diverse stakeholders, embracing their differences, and creating a range of experiences for them. This culminates in designs for a district, building or space that is authentic to a place and its people and flexible enough to evolve over time. 

Our passion for the undercurrents of our work — whether that be music, art or sports — gives us a defining edge in creating experiences that draw people together. Live music, though ever-changing, will always require a unique space in which it can be experienced fully. Our firsthand knowledge of meeting the needs of audiences and fans pushes entertainment and out-of-home congregate events forward in positive ways. We work diligently behind the scenes to create spaces worthy of the beauty that is shared human experiences.