I just checked out the vitual tour of the new O2 - I was shocked and saddened at how tacky and cheap it looks! What do think - in my opinion it is awful! :ohno: See it here : http://www.theo2.co.uk/web/guest/tour

I wouldn't say it looks tacky at all...looks quite good actually.

Cheap??? About £400 mio to build an arena inside a dome that is already there?

You may not like the architectural style, but others do like the art deco theme. After all it's an arena for entertainment, so it's style can be a little relaxed and frivolous. It's not the city. And compare this to Earls Court - now that is nasty and cheap!

I can't wait until it opens!

^^ JGG I despair ! I can see we will never agree on anything ! The Dome is a wonderful buildng that was ruined by a crass , tacky interior. It had a second chance and they've gone and repeated the same mistake again. Any one who thinks those renders show anything more classy than a cheap American themed mall/ hoilday camp/amusement arcade needs their eyes (and taste) examined!!!:bash: :ohno:

^^ No we did agree on one thing, that CW is cooler than the city. But it was you who said it is good we have all different tastes, i.e. in picking women. Clearly mine must be art deco in portland stone and I guess yours must be a glass and steel dalek. :) Yes I agree the Dome becomes a little Las Vegas but I am relaxed about it, because unlike the Potters Field site it is not a site every tourist to the UK sees and it is an arena, nothing more. IMO any developments around the London landmarks such as the Tower should reflect the best of British architecture, if the Dome is a bit pastiche, at high quality (£400 mio), who cares? By the way, have you visited the new Wembley stadium? Then you will freak out!

Considering the final buildings inside the dome haven't even been finished yet and there's no photos showing them in a completed state I don't see how you can go on visual representations and say they look cheap.

^^ I'm not a huge fan of the new Wembley anyway - i went up to have a look and it looked to me to like an office block with an arch over it. As far as portland stone goes - expensive materials don't translate into a good building. For me those renders represent nothing less than a tragedy for the Dome! There is no integrity to those designs - they follow the lowest common denominator of shopping mall architecture:ohno: (By the way as far as historic sites and buildings go I think the Dome is one of them!)

Gosh Darn horseshoe arena.

I'm so pissed at that.

its like those pubs that have the faux authentic atmosphere going on - ie built recently but with 'vintage' artifacts and pictures on the wall. I must say I struggle to think of how they could build a huge leisure venue without making it look a bit pastiche - they are going for the Alton Towers Crowd here not a bunch of architecture cognoscenti. I expect it will be filled with soulless brand name restaurants and bars that are perhaps a cut above the likes of Pizza Hut and McDonalds but are nonetheless artificial 'experience' joints.

All in all, my verdict is that its a reasonable stab at making use of a building that has been a severe national embarassment.

Anybody else notice a distinct shortage of ethnic minorities in the renders? Is this another white man's paradise?

I think it looks really good actually; and when I went at the Millennium I thought it was good; fair enough about the costs, but the actual thing itself- I dont see what was so bad :S

^^ JGG I despair ! I can see we will never agree on anything ! The Dome is a wonderful buildng that was ruined by a crass , tacky interior. It had a second chance and they've gone and repeated the same mistake again. Any one who thinks those renders show anything more classy than a cheap American themed mall/ hoilday camp/amusement arcade needs their eyes (and taste) examined!!!:bash: :ohno:

What the hell did you expect for christsake? Swinging gold plated diamond encrusted chandeliers? Sweeping, grand and majestic classical motifs? A doric column or two perhaps? It's an entertainment venue...and cheap it most certainly is not. Perhaps you dont like art deco? Although of course this only borrows from it.

^^ I hardly expected gold, diamonds and classical motifs. (I can get all that at home!!:) ) I expected something more in keeping with the building itself. Something modern, not retro, what will people think when they come to the dome for the olympics - it does look like an awful theme park fake village! So what if it cost millions - that dosen't make it good. It's the architectural equivilant of those high street furniture shops with sofa's shaped like sea shells and enormous beds with plastic fittings , flanked by ceramic tigers with gold strips!! All of which cost a bomb while looking totally cheap!!:bash: :)

I see the point your making...what is your interpretation of modern exactly?

Looks a tad Las Vegas for my taste.

^^ I don't see anything wrong with that

^^Las Vegas is ten times tackier, people are being very hard on it

I see the point your making...what is your interpretation of modern exactly?

In keeping with the Dome itself - they should have got Rogers to do it.

Germans don't build cheap.

Can you get construction photos of this or has it not started yet?

Can you get construction photos of this or has it not started yet?

Photo's on the new Dome?

It's almost finished - opening Summer 2007.

There's a few photo's of it in the other Dome thread. However, the guys rebuilding it have been keeping it closed off to the public (and cos it's indoors, it's very hard to get unofficial photo's of it).

the only thing i dont like about it that they didnt make it into a complete bowl.

everything else is good, but the actual arena has dissapointed me:ohno:

Same ^^

Gosh darn it I hate the incomplete bowl arenas in the UK.


http://citysnapper.org/chantrey/sheffield/photos2/2002112402arena-blue.jpg
Sheffield

http://www.anyticket.co.uk/plans/nottingham%20arena.gif
Nottingham

http://www.musco.com/newsev/images/odysseyarena.jpg
Belfast (The Smaller stand at the end is removable)

http://images.ticketmaster.co.uk/tmimages/venue/maps/uk2/uk21634a.gif
Birmingham 1

http://images.ticketmaster.co.uk/tmimages/venue/maps/uk2/uk2372a.gif
Birmingham 2

http://images.ticketmaster.co.uk/tmimages/venue/maps/uk2/uk2621a.gif
Wembley

http://www.gorockford.com/igallery31/upload/Meeting%20-%20Event%20Facilities/MetroCentre%20arena.jpg
Newcastle (I think this has had a re-fit, I remember it having green seats and only having 3 stands.)



Clear Winner...

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~jod/Storm/17245.gif
Manchester

agreed MEN looks brilliant looks like an american basketball arena i much prefer the complete bowl creates more of an atmosphere too

Will there be a hockey team playing out of the o2... the Knights maybe?

That definitely isnt Newcastle it still has green seats and 3 sides (2 tiers on the small side oppisite the stage).

-----

im thinking the newcastle one might be newcastle america, hence the american flag above the stage! I would love to see more interior shots of the MEN but they seem to be very rare, as if the inside is a secret!! can anyone post any?? also, y did the manchester ice hockey team move to a smaller venu? i know the MEN was too big for them but their new one only holds 2500 which seems too small

im thinking the newcastle one might be newcastle america, hence the american flag above the stage! I would love to see more interior shots of the MEN but they seem to be very rare, as if the inside is a secret!! can anyone post any?? also, y did the manchester ice hockey team move to a smaller venu? i know the MEN was too big for them but their new one only holds 2500 which seems too small

Apparently the reason they left was because the MEN put the price of hiring it out to be just too high to warrant playing out of there. Manchester's new rink is only temporary (like cardiff's new one) until they build a larger (probably 5,000 seats) permanent arena (again, much like Cardiff).

im thinking the newcastle one might be newcastle america, hence the american flag above the stage! I would love to see more interior shots of the MEN but they seem to be very rare, as if the inside is a secret!! can anyone post any?? also, y did the manchester ice hockey team move to a smaller venu? i know the MEN was too big for them but their new one only holds 2500 which seems too small

One of those newcastles in the US probs.

I see the flag now lol.

Nandos will be one of the bars and restaurants to open in The 02 it has it opening in 6 months on there wesbite

http://www.nandos.co.uk/

Just what London needs another of.

Gosh Darn horseshoe arena.

I'm so pissed at that.

to be fair I feel that the arena as a concert venue will have a greater pull and will be what the dome will be known for rather than sports, which will be a niche side show in the eye of joe public. I feel this is the difference between the arenas in the US which are dedicated sports venues. Its just a factor of priorities.

I'm disappointed in the visuals, it does look vibrant and lively, just not sure the rather juxtaposed architecture of the interior will be able to show off the drama of the space... looks worringly like a Trafford Centre on acid

They have a new tour guide on the 02 website.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/Sparkynufc/02dome.jpg?t=1168665836


Looks near enough full bowl to me, you can see the lower seating

I think it actually looks quite cool. I think the 30's is a very glamorous period, they should have gone further and recreated art deco new york with the bright lights and high style. A bit of retro can be fun every now and then. People quite like visiting a wonderland.

http://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/100706-MEN-Arena.jpg

http://www.stormhistory.manchesterstorm.info/17245small.jpg

The reason they moved is quite simply the crowds dropped after the initial novelty wore off.

So far Manchester, Sheffield, Belfast, London and Newcastle have all had serious financial problems, in fact the only (large) arena team not to is Nottingham who had the National Ice Arena built from lottery funding.

Essentially the MEN was costing about £12k per night to hire for ice hockey, the crowds were down below 2k so it was not financially viable - arenas like the MEN are full of concerts on nights like Friday, Saturday and Sunday - the nights that get decent ice hockey crowds.

With the success of the MEN for concerts, it became more and more impossible to make ice hockey viable - the same happens in all arenas.

tbh - I would be VERY surprised if the o2 was used for ice hockey for more than a couple of years, if at all - it'll be more profiatble as a concert arena.

more pictures from the MEN when the ice hockey used to be...

http://www.stormhistory.manchesterstorm.info/arenawithice.html