Designing a world-class arena with Grimshaw

YTL Arena Bristol is working with renowned architects Grimshaw to create a world-class arena for the South West, bringing the very best of live music, sport and comedy to the region.

Grimshaw’s impressive portfolio includes the iconic Eden Project here in the South West, the upgrade of the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, and the newly completed Elizabeth line in London. Leading the YTL Arena project for Grimshaw is Steven Kennedy, Principal Architect, who has been with the practice for 12 years.

“My role as Principal in the practice is to lead projects by directing, motivating and innovating within multi-disciplinary teams to achieve inspiring outcomes that anchor the building user at their heart,” said Steven. Grimshaw has designed YTL Arena’s bowl to ensure, no matter what the capacity, the audience will always feel immersed in an electric atmosphere.

“We want the artists to be immersed in a sea of faces as they look out from the stage. This experience is predominantly thanks to the lower tier design, which minimises intrusions and gaps within the seating bowl to promote an intense atmosphere and add to the crowd's energy, intensifying the experience for both the artists and the fans,” said Steven.

The quality of the experience is measured using design tools like VR and AR, meaning that Steven and the team can test out the design for themselves.

“We are pushing this technology to link the visual and audio experience with our friends at Vanguardia. We can replicate the exact full panoramic view and audio experience for every individual seat in the bowl,” said Steven.

“The industry standard is to measure sightlines to ensure the best possible view from your seat, and angle from your seat to the stage, which in different configuration modes can move and alter your experience of the event. These varied modes allow us to optimise the design, but the true measure of experience of this venue will come from the people of Bristol adopting this venue as their own.”