Olympia Exhibition Centre, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

The Challenge

We were asked to assist the client in bringing forward this major regeneration scheme that would breath new life into and realise the potential of a world renowned but tired and under-utilised exhibition venue.

This complex, urban site contains a wide variety of historic buildings including the renowned listed Victorian Exhibition Halls with their distinctive arched roofs and required a careful strategy of restoration, adaptation and upgrade.

The site has become increasingly closed off from both its surroundings and the wider exhibition world and required a clear and ambitious placemaking strategy to put the site back on the map.

The Solution

We led extensive consultation and discussion with the Council, GLA, Historic England, and other interest groups to bring forward redevelopment proposals for this major regeneration site.

The appointed architects, Thomas Heatherwick Studios and SPARCC, introduced a variety of new complementary buildings around the listed exhibition halls to double the overall floorspace on the site. This includes a new 14-storey office tower which delivers almost 80,000 sq m of office space.

Another unique aspect of the scheme is a new elevated public realm route with roof canopy which opens the site up for use by the public and surrounding community.

The Results

We secured planning permission and listed building consent from LBHF and swift sign off from the Mayor for this new global hub of exhibition, arts and cultural uses for London. In total, circa 200,000 sq m of floorspace including offices, art house cinema, music venue, two boutique hotels, and retail space will complement the existing exhibition space – continuing the legacy of Olympia for the next century.

We have been retained post grant of permission to advise on this transformational scheme.