Populous was chosen to design a £91M ($136.7M) entertainment arena in Bristol, according to the BBC. Populous, which designed the London Olympic Stadium and the O2 arenas in London, Berlin and Dublin, "was chosen from a shortlist of five." Bristol Arena, a 12,000-seat venue set to open in '17, will be built in the Temple Quarter enterprise zone. Populous was praised by the judging panel for its "unique innovative concept that allows for smaller capacity theatre style events, while quickly converting to larger configurations for sporting events, major conventions or exhibitions." Bristol Mayor George Ferguson said, "The Populous team has presented an innovative design for a horseshoe-shaped arena that will allow us real flexibility for programming, for now and into the future" (BBC, 3/17). BRISTOL 247's Martin Booth reported the elliptical shape "will have no traditional front or back, instead looking the same from Totterdown as from Temple Meads." Nicholas Reynolds of Populous said the development will have a "lasting impact." Reynolds: "We believe Bristol Arena will be the catalyst for the creation of a vibrant new quarter in the city." Rob Hall of The Architecture Centre, at which a "scale model of the arena will soon be on display," was "full of praise" for the winning arena design. Hall: "I'm very pleased. I think that the design is fantastic. This building will be a place to go to see the city" (BRISTOL 247, 3/18).
