Plans to revamp the Olympia Exhibition Centre could see the main road outside pedestrianised and the facade restored, but also several extra stories added to the office block next door to pay for it.
The design by Boris Bus to Boris Bridge designer, Heatherwick Studio will see the main exhibition space revamped, a new striking building on top of a car park, and several stories added to the top of the office block fronting the complex.
Plans to redevelop the site were first announced back in 2010, but put on hold when the exhibition centre was sold to Yoo Capital for £296 million.
The new plans, costing an estimated £130 million would see a hotel and cinema added to the site, in the new building being built on the old car park.
The bit that’s missing from all the hype and photos is an explicit mention of the additional stories being bolted on top of the existing building that fronts the Hammersmith Road — shown here as the stepped back glass-fronted block on the top of the current building.
The road approaching the main hall, home to cultural highlights such as the annual Beer Festival and London Fetish Weekend, will be pedestrianised as part of the plans.
It would appear from the images released by the design studio that a row of cafes would then be built on what is currently a thin line of car parking space alongside the railway.
The plans are to be formally submitted to the council for approval in September.
I imagine those “additional stories” could be used to house a library … 🙂
I’ll always think of the Hulton Boys’ and Girls’ Exhibition, and Bertram Mills’ circus.