New Philippine Arena pushes boundaries of Arena Design 2

Situated on a green field site north of Manila, the Arena is of a scale not previously seen before in the
Philippines. It has been master planned to enable 50,000 people to gather inside the building and a
further 50,000 to gather at a “live site” outside the arena, to share in major events. It will not only
hold major church gatherings, it will also operate as a multi-use sports and concert venue, capable of
holding a range of events from boxing and basketball to live music performances. The overall vision of the masterplan will eventually see inclusion of shopping centres, a hospital and large scale
residential developments.

DESIGN CHALLENGES PRESENTED BY THE SCALE OF THE ARENA:

The one- sided 50,000 seating bowl focuses at a central arena floor. The bowl is split into two main
tiers, a lower tier and an upper tier, both seating approximately 25,000 people.

The scale of the building is so vast it created a series of technical difficulties not previously seen
before in the Philippines according to project architect Ron Van Sluijs.

“It is difficult to have 50,000 people with one focal point, and give everyone a good view as well as a
sense of atmosphere and inclusion. The bowl shape helps achieve this. It is a very tight compact
structure, but it is also gracious, with its saddle bowl form, high in the centre and dropping down at
the flanks. Strategically placed video boards also help create atmosphere and enabling people to view
all the action.”

Another challenge was to ensure the arena never felt empty, and retained its sense of intimacy. The
lower bowl will be the most frequently used part of the building and the design allows for easy
separation of the lower tier from the upper tier by the use of a curtain hung from the roof soffit, with
both acoustic and thermal properties. However, during a major religious festival or celebration, the
upper bowl can be opened up and fully utilised.

A series of precast vomitories, set at regular intervals around the bowl, provide access from the outer
concourses onto the seating tiers. There are clear sightlines from every seat on each tier, even for
various arena configurations such as church ceremonies, boxing, tennis, concerts or indoor
gymnastics.

Even so, in normal operational mode of 25,000 people, it is still a very large crowd for an indoor
arena, especially as space has been allowed for a 2,000 person choir to be seated behind the stage
area opposite the main seating bowl. This meant major changing rooms for a start. The solution here
has been to design changing rooms that can be built in modules, allowing the capacity of the change
rooms to change to suit the required needs.

Circulation issues become an even bigger challenge when the arena is at capacity, to make certain
such a large number of people arrive at the main entrance, and move to their seats simply, quickly
and safely, avoiding a build up of huge crowds at the front door. The solution has been to separate
people immediately as they enter the front door into a split lower concourse through the use of
signage. The separation zone is utilised as the food and beverage area. People moving to the Upper
Tier are directed into Zone 1, where they travel via staircases to the upper concourse; those seated in
the Lower Tier are directed into Zone 2.

Consideration also had to be given to make certain the arena was comfortable. 50,000 people in a
fully enclosed building is a large crowd, and combined with Manila’s humid , tropical climate meant
that special measures had to be undertaken to ensure the arena was adequately ventilated. The
arena is fully air-conditioned, and the required plant space had major effect on the floor planning.

A further challenge was to design a roof spanning over 150 meters, across such a large tier structure.
This meant solving the issue of how to construct such a large structure in a country with little
construction experience in building large span roofs. The solution was to bring in outside specialist
expertise in large scale construction through the Korean construction company Hanwha Engineering
and Construction, as well as embarking on a local education programme.

An additional major design issue was the highly seismic location of the site. The size, the weight and
the height of the venue meant extraordinary engineering measures had to be introduced to ensure
make the arena earthquake proof. These included introducing seismic dissipaters (rubber shock
absorbers) at the first level to dampen the seismic acceleration, and building a large number of shear
walls to transfer the horizontal loading

ARENA DESIGN:

The arena itself is comprised of a number of interrelated elements. The first is the building’s podium
– a plinth which raises the building, ensuring the building’s curvaceous form can be seen from afar.

The second element is the lower foyer. This light, open concourse welcomes arena visitors and
creates a seamless flow between the building and its surroundings.

The third, and one of the most prominent architectural elements, is the central band of louvers
encircling the exterior of the arena’s primary elevation. These vibrant louvers provide both character
and a pragmatic solution as a translucent ventilating veil around the façade.

The arena’s fourth element is the significant yet delicately detailed steel structure which supports
the upper bowl and roof. While these structural elements may be impressive in size, the articulation
and curbed repetition of the triangulated props create delicate filigree – crowning the arena building
and complimenting the band of louvers below.

The arena’s floating shell-like roof completes the architecture. It’s sharply articulated edges and
supple form creates a strong and immediately identifiable silhouette for the building.

AN ADAPTABLE SPACE:

Three areas of temporary or retractable seating have been incorporated into the bowl design. The
first is 2000 seats of retractable seating behind the ‘stage’ which folds into itself and stores away in a
floor pit. The tier itself can be adjusted in height to optimise sightlines for various usages of the arena
floor. The second area is up to 1500 loose seating, which can be accommodated on the main arena
floor in front of a stage setting. Thirdly, two sections of retractable seating are located in the lower
tier corners. In retracted mode, the gained area allows for a larger field of play.

ARENA PLANNING:

The arena rises up four levels.

Level 1 has the stage floor, including the back of house performer dress rooms. Level 2 is the main
access level for the general public. Level 3 is an intermediate VIP level. It is limited to a section in the middle of the building however can be expanded in the future. This level can be accessed from the VIP lobby in the basement or at the main entry on level 2 by dedicated VIP lifts. It has suites facing the auditorium and multipurpose conference rooms facing the main plaza. The central lobby at level 3 can be used as a memorial space. Level 4 is the upper concourse and provides access to the upper bowl through various vomitories.

A LAYERED FACADE:

All but the eastern façade of the arena are very open. The façade allows for natural ventilation deep
into the building and views out onto the site from the main circulation concourses, while maintaining
a clear demarcation around the building perimeter. The objectives are achieved with a metallic
perforated louvered screen hung from the slab edges. The screen aligns with the concourses, raps
around the vertical circulation and its density is reduced towards the rear of the building. Colour on
the screens provides added interest and warmth.

Centrally located above the main entry of the plaza, and in between the louvered screens, is a glazed
screen. This glazed screen works as a marker over the main entry and allows uninterrupted views
from the VIP level over the main plaza in front of the building. It consist of staggered toughened glass panes fixed in position by standardised brackets fixed of an elegant steel frame forming a three
dimensional effect.

The overhanging roof edge over the façade is intended to provide an ending to the roof cladding and
a crisp, sharp and flush metallic edged returning down to the back of the bowl.

The venue at Ciudad de Victoria will be the world’s largest indoor arena. It has a construction value of AUD $200M, and has been commissioned by Iglesia Ni Cristo (the Church of Christ) to be completed in time for the Church’s Centennial Celebration in 2014. Populous has designed the arena with engineers Buro Happold and construction will be carried out by Hanwha Engineering and Construction Corp. 

by Populous

source: architecture and sport.com